International Workshop

On October 30, 2026, the IDE-JETRO hosted the international workshop “Women’s Employment and Health: Exploring the Potential of Femcare and Femtech”. This page provides an overview of the discussions and key insights that emerged during the workshop. We invite you to explore the summary and learn more about the issues and opportunities highlighted by the participants.

Event Details

Date: 30 October 2026, 10:00-12:00
Venue: IDE-JETRO Conference room 22 / Online
Organizer: IDE-JETRO
Cooperation: Sajida Foundation
Language: English

Background and Objectives

South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region are often referred to as the “patriarchy belt,” where women’s labor force participation rates remain among the lowest in the world. In addition to the burden of household chores and childcare, a strong gender norm that “women should not work outside the home” is a major factor behind this situation. Although a growing body of research has examined interventions aimed at changing such norms, significant challenges remain in translating these efforts into substantial increases in women’s employment. At the same time, while women’s employment has been rising, much of this growth has taken the form of informal, home-based work, and its contribution to improving women’s well-being remains unclear.

For women in these regions, the relationship between employment outside the home, marriage, and reproductive health cannot be overlooked. This is because the gender norms that restrict women’s participation in external employment are often rooted in concerns about women’s safety, sexual propriety, and issues related to menstrual management.

Against this backdrop, we organized an international workshop featuring Sajeda Amin, a leading scholar in the fields of child marriage and reproductive health and currently Senior Research Advisor at the Sajida Foundation and former Senior Associate at the Population Council. The workshop was held in collaboration with the Sajida Foundation, a non-profit organization that works primarily in Bangladesh, to advance public health and social development initiatives.

Program

Summary of the Discussion

1. What is the impact of women’s entrepreneurship programs implemented by JICA and other development agencies on the welfare of women engaged in small-scale, home-based enterprises in the informal sector?

According to the JICA officer responsible for Pakistan, speaking in a personal capacity based on experiences in Pakistan rather than as an official organizational view, such interventions appear to have positive effects in terms of improving livelihoods. However, they also require substantial inputs, and it is difficult to generate significant social impact within a short period of time. From a researcher’s perspective, there does not appear to be sufficiently rigorous evidence supporting these observations. Conversely, producing such evidence may itself represent an important avenue for future research. That said, assessing long-term effects is likely to be challenging even with rigorous causal inference methods. This remains an issue that warrants further investigation in future research.

2. Is the creation of entirely new employment opportunities necessary to promote women's employment in South Asia and the MENA region? Beyond Bangladesh, what is the potential of industries such as garments and femcare products to generate employment opportunities for women?

Creating entirely new employment opportunities is likely to be important. However, it may not necessarily require the development of new industries. Even within existing industries, employment in the formal sector could potentially be expanded for women through workplace adaptations, such as establishing women-only production floors or workspaces. It is also important to consider approaches that do not displace male workers. In Pakistan's garment sector, for example, there are government-supported programs that successfully link vocational training with actual job placement. However, these programs require extensive support, including training, financial incentives, and transportation services. It remains unclear whether such models are financially and operationally sustainable in the long run. Regarding femcare products, at least in Pakistan, workers in domestic sanitary product manufacturing are reportedly predominantly male. This suggests that the production of femcare products does not necessarily create employment opportunities for women. In other words, the fact that a product is targeted toward women does not automatically translate into greater female employment. South Asia offers significant market potential due to its large population and rapidly growing youth population. However, profitability remains a challenge. For example, P&G has already withdrawn from some markets for commercial reasons. It may be worthwhile to examine how Unicharm has approached market entry and expansion in India, and whether its business model offers lessons for balancing commercial viability with employment generation.

3. What are the current practices surrounding menstrual health management (MHM), and what is the demand for sanitary pads?

On average, the use of disposable sanitary pads among women in South Asia may still be below 20%. However, among adolescent and unmarried women, usage rates could be substantially higher. For example, the survey findings (Makino and Shonchoy, ongoing) suggest that usage rates as high as 80% among this group would not be surprising. In many South Asian countries, disposable sanitary pads are subsidized by governments, international organizations, and NGOs, and access has improved significantly in recent years. As a result, although reusable cloths and other traditional menstrual products continue to be used, the potential demand for disposable sanitary pads appears to be considerable. However, when sanitary pads must be purchased from local markets, women often face social stigma associated with openly buying menstrual products, particularly when shopkeepers are male. Overcoming these social and cultural barriers remains an important challenge for increasing the uptake of sanitary pads.

4. What is the level of access to the internet and digital technologies among the poorest and most marginalized women, and what are the implications for the adoption of femtech solutions?

In regions such as South Asia, where women’s mobility is often constrained with respect to employment, education, and healthcare, telehealth services have considerable potential to improve access to information and essential services. A growing body of research has already begun to document these opportunities. At the same time, however, there is a risk that the most marginalized women, who often have limited access to the internet, mobile devices, or digital literacy, may be further excluded from such services. While femtech and digital health innovations may expand access for some women, they may simultaneously widen inequalities for others. This concern is not unique to femtech. Similar debates have long surrounded microfinance programs, where better-off or more connected women are often better positioned to benefit, while the most vulnerable women may remain underserved. Understanding how to reach and include these marginalized populations remains a critical challenge.