Less than half of working age women across the Pacific Islands are employed due to outdated laws and other barriers, the World Bank said in a new report on Tuesday, and said closing the gender gap could boost economic growth.
The World Bank economic update for the Pacific also forecast regional growth slowing to 2.6% in 2025, down from 5.5% in 2023.
With 57%, or around 500,000, of women not in work across the Pacific Islands, the report said boosting female participation to the same level as men could lift the region's gross domestic product by 22% by increasing household incomes and supporting private sector growth.
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