Costly inaction on gender parity

As I sat in the gender parity session at the WE’s Annual Meeting in Davos early this year, a familiar frustration washed over me.

- Datin Seri Umayal Eswaran

Year after year, the best minds and policy experts from around the world gather to discuss the same pressing challenges.

Yet meaningful progress in gender parity somehow remains elusive.

The statistics presented at the session represented millions of women whose potential remains untapped, their dreams deferred by systemic barriers that we have failed to dismantle.

These women are members of our communities — our daughters, nieces, friends, and neighbours. And in this era of technological advancements, it’s unacceptable that so many are still unable to participate in society and the economy.

The maths is simple: if women participated in the global economy at the same rate as men, we could double the world’s GDP.

This isn’t just about fairness; it’s about economic common sense.

In Thailand, women constitute approximately 59.3% of the labour force.

Yet, despite their substantial participation, they remain underrepresented in leadership positions. Women hold only 19% of board seats in Thai companies, below the global average of 23.3%.

However, in the corporate sector, Thailand shows a more positive trend, with 41% of top executive positions held by women and 42% of Thai companies having female CEOs or managing directors, the highest among 28 countries surveyed.