Technological advancements and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionising manufacturing for industries around the world. The International Federation of Robotics estimates that the global stock of operational industrial robots would have increased to 3,053,000 units by 2020, with the capability to help produce cars, electronics and new machinery. However, the scale and pace of AI in disrupting jobs is a concern and automation may work to widen the existing gaps in work

According to a study conducted by Singapore-based research company ValueChampion, Indonesia is the second-most dangerous country for women in the Asia Pacific region after India, while the Philippines is the third most dangerous. Singapore is the safest country across the region. The 2019 study also ranked Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia as the 8th, 9th, and 10th safest countries for women, respectively, out of 14 countries in the Asia Pacific.

In Indonesia, heart-breaking stories about health care workers who died as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak started appearing in newspapers within weeks of the first diagnosed cases in the country.  Doctors, nurses and other frontline health workers without appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) were falling gravely ill and in far too many cases, dying. Similar stories appeared across many other ASEAN member states.

Abortion is an extremely taboo topic in some parts of conservative Southeast Asia.ASEAN member states such as the Philippines and Lao do not permit abortion. Whereas Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand only allow abortion if a medical practitioner deems that continuing the pregnancy poses a danger to the mother’s life and health. As many countries criminalise abortion, some women and girls with unwanted pregnancies could resort to unsafe abortions to terminate their pregnancies.

In Southeast Asia, long hair is esteemed as a mark of beauty with deep religious and social meaning.Hair extensions have become an essential segment in the multi-billion-dollar hair industry, with estimated annual sales ranging in value from US$250 million to over US$1 billion.

The reverberating economic shock of the coronavirus crisis has delivered a massive setback for women because so many work in the badly exposed services sector, experts say.The nature of the outbreak means women are more likely than men to lose or quit their jobs in vulnerable low-paying workplaces like bars, conference venues, hairdressing salons, hotels, pubs and restaurants, which faced extensive shutdowns.School closures during lockdown have exacerbated the situation because more women tha

Violence against women and children is the most prevalent human rights violation. Unfortunately, cases of gender-based violence – especially against women – is nothing new in Southeast Asia.Based on a report by the United Nations University - International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) in Malaysia, intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of gender-based violence, with 28 percent of women in the region having to deal with it.

Last month, Sheuly rushed into a Dhaka hospital in need of emergency treatment. The 25-year-old Bangladeshi woman had just given birth at home – thinking it a safer setting than the hospital during a pandemic. But as she began to suffer from post-partum haemorrhage – one of the leading causes of maternal death worldwide – avoiding exposure to COVID-19 was the furthest thing from her mind.

While many countries continue to grapple with escalating COVID-19 outbreaks, two have declared theirs effectively over: New Zealand and Iceland. It is no coincidence that both countries’ governments are led by women.New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and her Icelandic counterpart Katrín Jakobsdóttir have both received considerable – and well-deserved – praise for their leadership during the COVID-19 crisis.