What the workplace gender gap looks like in 10 countries across Asia

Gender inequality is a global issue, but it doesn’t look the same everywhere. While on average there are about four women for every 10 men in a leadership role, in Asia this drops to one woman to every 10 men.

Agoda, a travel platform based in Singapore, released its “Women in the Workplace: Asia” survey, which includes insights gathered from 12,000 people across 10 Asian markets. Here are the key insights:

• The glass ceiling is very real: On average, 46% of people said the glass ceiling for women exists. This was particularly true for Vietnamese respondents (63%), Thai (56%), and Taiwanese (53%) respondents, while only 27% of Filipino respondents agreed.
• Younger generations are more sensitive to the glass ceiling: 53% of respondents from ages 18-24 said the glass ceiling still exists, compared to 42% of respondents over 45 years old. Moreover, 35% of 18- to 24-year-olds have quit their jobs or have known someone who quit because of gender discrimination, compared to only 12% of people age 55 and above.
• Positive change is afoot: 70% of respondents said the workplace has improved for women over the past five years, while only 8% said it’s worsened. However, 32% of men said it’s significantly improved, compared to only a quarter of women. Japan and South Korea earned the lowest marks for improving, with 40% of respondents saying there was no change or a worse environment for women. In contrast, the Philippines, India, and Indonesia earned high marks for improvement.

Eliana Carmel, chief people officer at Agoda, said: “Understanding and embracing generational differences in the workforce is not just a strategic advantage; it’s the key to unlocking innovation, fostering collaboration, and building a workplace that thrives on diverse perspectives.”

The survey included responses from workers in India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.