Malaysian Model United Nations
Forum:
The Economics and Social Council II (ECOSOC)
Issue:
Measures to tackle the gender-pay gap in East Asia
Student Officer: Ernest Wang
Position:
President of ECOSOC II
Introduction
The gender-pay gap in East Asia is one of the largest in the world, with the average woman
making 38.2% less per dollar than that of her male colleague. The worst cases of gender-pay inequality
is shown in China, where a woman makes as less as up to 40.2% less than her male colleagues; thus
showing the severe gap between the economic values of men over women in the working world. It is
important to tackle this issue now, as without it, we as a world would not be able to make forward leaps
in terms of human rights, mobilising an underused labor force, as well as creating a more suitable and
comfortable work environment for all. Another thing that must be addressed is the clear lack of education
for women in East Asia, as only about
Definition of Key Terms
Benefits
A benefit is often connected to the employment package an employee receives as part of his/her
salary. Benefits may include things like extra days on Holiday with pay, healthcare coverage,
housing, or even education for children.
Glass Ceiling
The Glass Ceiling refers to a cap in how high a person of a specific gender or race can climb up
in the corporate ladder, and not being able to advance past a certain spot.
“77 cent” figure
This figure is often used in the description of the gender-pay gap. The 77 cents a woman earns
compared to the $1 her male colleagues would make, which is actually a lot worse in Asia. In
Asia, the figure sits more at about 38.2% less, or the 61.8 cents a woman makes per dollar her
male counterpart would make.
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Background Information
Solving the gender-pay gap is one that is intricately connected with many other topics, ones such
as human rights, women’s rights, and socioeconomic equality. In Asia however, women’s rights are often
ranked at the bottom of many surveys, simply for the fact that woman’s rights have not been a key issue
of debate for these countries.
Feminism
Feminism was first used by philosopher Charles Fourier, having coined the word “féminisme” in
1837. However, the word only caught widespread use during the 1900s and 1910s during the
movements for woman’s rights during that time. Feminism is separated into 3 different waves, the first
being a movement for sexual, reproductive and economic equality. The second wave for legal and social
equality, while the third wave often is described as a movement to solve the failings of the second wave.
Feminism in East Asia
Feminism in East Asia is catching on slowly but surely, with more countries making rapid
progress. The Philippines currently is the head in terms of reaching closing the gender-pay gap,
with it being one of the only countries that has reached equality in both the education and health
for men and women. The worse of these is Malaysia and Japan, both ranked at 106 and 111 on
the Gender-pay gap report of 2016 released by the World Economic Forum, where women make
as less as 60 cents per the dollar her male counterpart would make.
Key Issues
Economic standings
One of the key reasons the gender-pay gap is such a key issue that should be addressed
by Asian countries is simply the economic standings of the individual woman and the state. In
several studies, Woman are shown to have actively contributed to the development of the
workforce, and were shown to have a significantly positive impact on a country’s GDP. However,
many argue this is a result of the assumption that women are less likely to bargain for a better
salary. But if women were educated on their abilities, this in turn not only benefits countries, but
also improves the lives of those women whose skills are not utilised and lead poor lives.
Educational and other equal rights
To fight for economic equality and equal pay, education plays a key factor. When all
members of society are equally educated, everyone will have equal starting positions, thus
making the economy more competitive for skilled workers and allowing for women to be able to
seek positions they otherwise could not have received.
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Malaysian Model United Nations
Timeline of Events
Ever since the raising of the issue of the Gender-Pay Inequality in the 1980s, countries and their
governments have made a great effort to reduce this catastrophic issue, and the UN has made
significant advances in the quest for pay equality.
Date
Description of event
Women took up jobs that men traditionally held due to a significant lack of male
1939-1945
labourers, as they were off fighting in World War II. This era was the first to bring
up issues of equal pay when several strikes were conducted for equal pay.
UN security Council passes resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security.
October 31, 2000
This resolution calls upon the equal representation in peacekeeping operations,
humanitarian efforts, as well as participation in UN efforts.
World Economic Forum decides to publish the Gender Gap Report, an annual
2006
report that will bring up statistics on the equality of genders within countries, and
place them into rankings based upon their assessments.
A United Nations Branch designated UN Women is established in order to
July 10, 2010
empower women in both the workplace and employment, as well as represent
them.
2015
OECD publishes Post-2015 reflections, and urges the UN as well as other
nations to focus on Gender equality in the economy as well as representation.
UN Involvement, Relevant Resolutions, Treaties and Events
The UN has been very vocal in it’s support of Women’s Rights, affirming it both during the
Economic and Social Council meetings, as well as in global forums it has sanctioned. Some of the
following documents are such:
•
Commission on the Status of Women 2016 (CSW60 2016)
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•
The adopting of the Resolution Concerning the Promotion of Gender Equality, Pay Equity, and
Maternal Protection (International Labor Conference, 92nd Session, June 2002)
•
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW,
A/RES/34/180)
•
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action
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