Women And Economy In Central Asia

More than 200 women entrepreneurs, policy makers, educators and civil society leaders met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, recently, to discuss economic opportunities.

More than 200 women entrepreneurs, policy makers, educators and civil society leaders met in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, recently, to discuss economic opportunities for women in Central Asia and Afghanistan. U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues Melanne Verveer and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake addressed the group to regarding strategies to take women in business to the next level.

Finding Work for Asia's Underemployed, Undertrained Women

The International Labor Organization (ILO), in a new report, paints an ugly picture of East Asia's economic rebound, and electronics manufacturers would do well to pay attention. The report, "Women and Labor Markets in Asia," found that women are twice as likely as men to be unemployed in Asia, and that global economic recovery is passing by Asia's female workforce.

"In some developing countries, particularly in East Asia, job growth is back, but the quality of jobs being created is a major concern," the ILO found. "In particular, 45 per cent of the vast productive potential of Asian women remains untapped, compared to just 19 per cent for Asian men."