On the 100th commemoration of International Women’s Day the UN calls for equal access to education, training and science and technology. In Lao PDR large numbers of women miss out on such opportunities with many engaged in subsistence farming and low-skilled jobs. The informal sector also accounts for large numbers of women who own small businesses often in retail or textiles. Among the reasons for this are lack of education and opportunities in the formal sector.

Lao PDR is currently off track to meet the Millennium Development Goal 3 target of eliminating gender disparity in all levels of education by 2015. Despite some progress the gender gap in education has not closed significantly. The disparity widens at the higher levels with only 62 girls per 100 boys enrolled in tertiary education.

The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, used his International Women’s Day message to highlight the importance of education and training in helping women to, “break the cycle of poverty, combat injustice and exercise their rights.” He also stated the importance of access to science and technology, such as cell phones and the Internet, “to enable women to improve the health and well-being of their families, take advantage of income-earning opportunities and protect themselves from exploitation and vulnerability.” 

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