Asian Development BankWorld Bank2014-01-062014-01-062013-01978-92-9092-921-5https://hdl.handle.net/10986/16511Since the introduction of economic reforms in the mid-1980s, strong growth and development have lifted thousands of poor women and men out of poverty, changing traditional ways of life in Lao PDR. In this environment of change, gender relations, within the family, village and society at large, are changing too. Gender equality is a core development objective. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative. As Lao PDR continues its development, the empowerment of women and girls will be a key to translating the country's economic growth and the energies of its young people into improved living standards that benefit women and men alike. This assessment synthesizes information and findings from recent literature and research on gender issues in Lao PDR for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank's (WB) country partnership strategies. The assessment is planned to contribute not only to the work of the ADB and the WB, but also towards the work of the government and development partners by bringing the latest information on gender issues to the forefront. Many of the gender issues reviewed in this report cut across multiple aspects of social and economic life. This assessment presents gender issues into three main dimensions of gender equality, endowments, economic opportunities and agency, using the framework developed by the World Bank's world development report on gender. In addition to these three areas, the report also analyzes gender issues related to emerging areas of development and growing risks.en-USCC BY 3.0 IGOACCESS TO EDUCATIONACCESS TO FAMILY PLANNINGACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICESADOLESCENT FERTILITYADULT LITERACYADVANCEMENT OF WOMENADVANCING GENDER EQUALITYADVOCACY EFFORTSAGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTANTENATAL CAREBABIESBIODIVERSITYCAUSE OF DISABILITYCHILD HEALTHCHILDBIRTHCLIMATE CHANGECOMPLICATIONSCONTRACEPTIVE PREVALENCEDEVELOPMENT PLANSDEVELOPMENT POLICIESDEVELOPMENT POLICYDISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMENDISEASESDOMESTIC VIOLENCEEARLY MARRIAGEECONOMIC CHANGEECONOMIC EMPOWERMENTECONOMIC GROWTHECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIESECONOMIC OPPORTUNITYEDUCATIONAL SERVICESELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATIONEMPLOYMENT STRATEGIESEMPOWERMENT OF WOMENENHANCING WOMENENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTEQUAL OPPORTUNITYEQUAL PARTICIPATIONEQUAL RIGHTSEQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITYEQUALITY OF WOMENETHNIC GROUPSFAMILY HEALTHFEMALE LITERACYFERTILITYFERTILITY RATEFERTILITY RATESFIRST MARRIAGEFOOD INSECURITYFOOD SECURITYFORCED PROSTITUTIONFORMS OF DISCRIMINATIONGENDER DISPARITIESGENDER EQUITYGENDER GAPSGENDER INEQUALITIESGENDER INEQUALITYGENDER ISSUESGENDER MAINSTREAMINGGENDER PARITYGENDER POLICYGENDER RELATIONSGENDER STEREOTYPESGOVERNMENT POLICIESGROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTHEALTH OF WOMENHEALTH PROBLEMSHEALTH PROVIDERSHEALTH SECTORHEALTH WORKERSHIVHUMAN CAPITALHUMAN DEVELOPMENTHUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUSHUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENTHUMAN TRAFFICKINGHUSBANDSILLNESSIMMUNIZATIONINCIDENCE OF POVERTYINCLUSION OF WOMENINDIVIDUAL WOMENINDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENTINFANTINFANT MORTALITYINFANT MORTALITY RATEINHERITANCEINTERNATIONAL LABOR ORGANIZATIONINTERNATIONAL TREATIESJOB OPPORTUNITIESJOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMENLABOR FORCELABOR MARKETLITERACY RATESLIVE BIRTHSLIVING STANDARDSLOCAL COMMUNITYMARRIED WOMENMATERNAL HEALTHMATERNAL HEALTH CAREMATERNAL HEALTH SERVICESMATERNAL MORTALITYMATERNAL MORTALITY RATEMATERNAL MORTALITY RATESMATERNAL MORTALITY RATIOMEDICAL STAFFMIDWIVESMIGRANTMIGRANT POPULATIONSMIGRANTSMIGRATIONMILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALSMINISTRY OF EDUCATIONMINISTRY OF HEALTHMODERNIZATIONMOTHERNATIONAL COMMITTEENATIONAL DEVELOPMENTNATIONAL GOALSNATIONAL GOVERNMENTNATIONAL LAWSNATIONAL LEVELSNATIONAL STRATEGYNATURAL RESOURCENATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENTNATURAL RESOURCESNUMBER OF BIRTHSNUMBER OF GIRLSNUMBER OF WOMENNURSENURSESNUTRITIONPARLIAMENTARY SEATSPARTICIPATION IN DECISIONPARTICIPATION OF WOMENPERSISTENT GAPSPERSONS WITH DISABILITIESPHYSICAL INTEGRITYPOLICIES ON GENDERPOLICY ANALYSISPOLICY DIALOGUEPOLITICAL LEADERSHIPPOLITICAL PARTICIPATIONPOLYGAMYPOOR NUTRITIONPOPULATION POLICYPRACTITIONERSPREGNANCYPRIMARY SCHOOLPROGRESSPROMOTING GENDER EQUALITYPUBLIC AWARENESSPUBLIC HEALTHQUALITY OF SERVICESREGIONAL COOPERATIONREGIONAL INEQUALITIESREGIONAL POLICYREPRODUCTIVE AGEREPRODUCTIVE HEALTHREPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICESRESPECTRURAL AREASRURAL DEVELOPMENTRURAL RESIDENTSRURAL WOMENSANITATIONSECONDARY EDUCATIONSECONDARY SCHOOLSEGMENTS OF SOCIETYSERVICE DELIVERYSERVICE QUALITYSEXSEX WITH MENSKILLED BIRTH ATTENDANTSSKILLED HEALTH PERSONNELSOCIAL CHANGESOCIAL DEVELOPMENTSOCIAL INSTITUTIONSSOCIAL NORMSSOCIAL SERVICESSOCIAL WELFARESOCIOECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTSON PREFERENCESTRATEGY FOR WOMENTECHNICAL SKILLSTECHNICAL TRAININGTERTIARY EDUCATIONTRADITIONAL PRACTICESUMBILICAL CORDUNFPAUNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUNDURBAN AREASURBAN COMMUNITIESURBAN POVERTYVIOLENCE AGAINST WOMENVOCATIONAL EDUCATIONVOCATIONAL TRAININGVULNERABILITYVULNERABLE GROUPSVULNERABLE POPULATIONSWOMANWORK FORCEWORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATIONYOUNG PEOPLEYOUNG WOMENWorld Bank10.1596/978-92-9092-921-5