Government performance is highly dependent on workforce quality. At the same time, size of public sector employment reflects both societal agreement about the role of government in the economy and society, as well as the way in which public services are delivered – whether through government employees or partnerships with the private or not-for-profit sectors.

Achieving gender parity in parliaments and government is crucial to ensure that women’s perspectives are integral to public decision-making, being reflected in government policies and strategies. In adopting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), SEA countries have committed to achieving women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of public decision making. Yet women’s political representation in SEA countries has hardly increased over the past decade. Women are still under-represented, filling only one-tenth of ministerial positions and one-fifth of parliamentary seats on average.