The long road towards gender equality has arrived at greater educational attainment, higher female labour force participation, and advances in politics and business, but we haven’t reached the end yet.
The demographic transition to fewer babies and longer lives took a century in Europe and North America. In Asia, this transition will often take place in a single generation. But many of Asia’s retirement-income systems are ill-prepared for the rapid population ageing that will occur over the next two decades. Asia’s pension systems need modernising urgently to ensure that they are financially sustainable and provide adequate retirement incomes.
Wherever I go, in every country, women are demanding that their voices are heard. From the Arab states, where women continue to stand up for freedom and democracy, to all regions of the globe, the calls for equal rights, opportunity and participation are spreading and have brought significant change over the years.
