Insights on women and gender in Asia

Stories worth sharing

Business sense

Less than half of working-age women are employed across Pacific island nations due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report. With 57 per cent or around 500,000 women not in work across the Pacific, the report said boosting female participation to the same level as men could lift the region’s gross domestic product by 22 per cent through increasing household incomes and supporting private sector growth.

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‘Every woman knows this fear’

TikTok is wildly popular in Pakistan, in part because of its accessibility to a population with low literacy levels. On it, women have found both audience and income, rare in a country where fewer than a quarter of women participate in the formal economy. However, the murder of teenage TikTok star Sana Yousaf has sparked debate on women’s safety online amid rising violence.

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Sick leave

Japanese women in their twenties were twice as likely to take extended sick leave as their male counterparts, a recent survey has found. This has prompted calls for health officials to pay more attention to sex and age in preventing long-term sick leave. Mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders, and pregnancy-related complications like severe morning sickness were the main reasons women called in sick for periods longer than 30 days.

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Spy master

The UK government has appointed Blaise Metreweli as the first-ever woman to head its MI6 spy service. Metreweli will be the 18th head of the service. “The historic appointment of Blaise Metreweli comes at a time when the work of our intelligence services has never been more vital,” Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

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Divorce agent

Demand for divorce services in China has grown so rapidly that it has sprouted a new side gig for medical office worker Qin Meng. For 400 yuan (US$56), she helps couples wanting to register their divorce snatch appointments online at midnight. Demographers say the emergence of impromptu agents like Qin is another sign of how the slowing economy is piling financial stress on married couples and contributing to the breakdown of relationships. One expert expects China’s divorce rate for 2024 to hit 2.6 per 1,000 people, against a low of 2.0 during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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‘Mark him for life’

Former Singaporean actor Ian Fang, 35, bowed in apology as he surrendered to begin his 40-month jail term for having sex with a 15-year-old girl on nine occasions, despite knowing that she was underage. Fang told reporters he was taking responsibility for his actions, but the victim’s parents have called for Fang to be caned so he could be marked with scars reminding him of his wrongdoings.

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Charged

German prosecutors have charged a 43-year-old Chinese national with 22 offences, including attempted murder and aggravated rape after drugging victims, in some cases involving women he knew. The accused, who was not identified, is suspected of sedating women with sleeping pills and raping them in eight cases. Some victims knew the defendant and were unaware of what was happening.

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Facing reforms

In Japan’s shadowy nightlife districts, affection can come at a steep price. For thousands of women, a night of flirtation with a well-dressed host has turned into financial ruin and, in some cases, coerced sex work. Now, the Japanese government is stepping in with a revised law aimed at ending the industry’s most predatory tactics. However, it appears to target host clubs specifically, after recent reports of female customers being pressured into prostitution or acting in adult videos to repay their debt from overspending at these clubs.

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+ In case you missed it

Check out last week’s Lunar issue featuring Singapore’s time capsule, China’s matrilineal society, and the Indonesian fintech firm bridging funding gaps.

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