The former was established in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly to encourage more girls and women to pursue studies and careers in science and technology. The latter celebrates women achievements in social, cultural, economic and political fields and advance gender parity. But these achievements will struggle to progress without higher participation of women in science, technology and innovation, especially in a highly digitalized post-pandemic world.

This is particularly important for the ASEAN region, one of the fastest growing digital economies in the world, whose growth has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. With a growing proportion of our daily activities moving online, equal access to digital technology and participation in online professional activities is key to an inclusive post-pandemic recovery. And equal access means same opportunities to compete, thrive and access leadership positions.

Any foreigner living and working in South East Asia can be quickly impressed and positively surprised by the numerous highly qualified women met during meetings and professional events, certainly in higher numbers than in other regions around the world. However, while at first sight, this partial and unresearched anecdotal evidence is very positive, when looking at the data, it is clear that there still a long way to go.

Recent Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) research shows that compared to other regions in Asia, ASEAN women are doing well in terms of more basic digital access metrics (mobile phone usage, connection to the internet, etc.) and according to a 2018 McKinsey assessment ASEAN member states scored higher than the Asia-Pacific average with respect to gender digital inclusion. For this type of access, it is reasonable to imagine that other “divides” such as the urban-rural divide are more predominant and significant than the gender-divide (women vs men/girls vs boys).

However, when it comes to more sophisticated forms of access to scientific information and digital technologies, it becomes evident that opportunities are not the same. Participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education is good (although skewed toward medical disciplines and less towards information and communication technology (ICT) and technology fields).

But high female education in technical fields does not appear to translate into equally high female representation in related professions. Women have limited representation in advanced technology jobs that require higher skill levels and are better-paying. These skills and jobs are increasingly becoming in high demand for a transition towards a highly digitized post-pandemic world.

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