Columbia International Affairs Online: Working Papers

CIAO DATE: 03/2010

The impact of the global financial crisis on women in Southeast Asia

Yada Praparpun

February 2010

Oxfam Publishing

Abstract

East Asian governments have demonstrated in their response to the current global economic crisis that they have learned critical lessons from the major financial meltdown in the 1990s. They have provided timely stimulus packages and have proactively targeted those who generally are more vulnerable to shocks. But have governments really understood the impact of the crisis on the least resilient people of the region and tailored their support to meet their needs? Oxfam recognises that women experience poverty differently from men; at times of acute pressure women are expected to bring in income, run a household, care for children and elders and more. This research report draws on country case studies from Thailand, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia. It seeks to identify and recognise how the financial crisis has impacted on women, in order test whether East Asian governments are doing enough to support the most vulnerable.