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Girls have almost closed the education gap with boys in South Asia. Yet only half as many women join the active workforce compared to men. World Bank reports only 1 in 3 women are in the workforce in the region, compared to 3 out of 4 men.

This limits the opportunities for millions of women to thrive in life and contribute to their families, communities and economy. Even when they work, women often earn less than men and hold jobs without benefits and protections.

Research points to a number of factors that hold women back professionally, including barriers such as access to quality child and elderly care, safe transport, workplace safety, reproductive rights, legal restrictions, relevant skills development and gender norms.

But there are actions governments, educational institutions, workplaces, communities and families can take to break down some of those barriers and clear the path for women who want to work. Research by the World Bank shows that raising female labor force participation rates in the region to those of men would increase regional GDP by up to 51 percent.

We are supporting this competition led by World Bank who have invited young women and men aged 18-25 from – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – to engage with this question.

The competition will reach out to young men and women in the region to engage them in the issue of women’s economic empowerment in the region, helping raise awareness and facilitate dialogue around the issue while providing substantive opportunities for young people to engage.

ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Media Action will help to judge entries and provide winners with an immersive content creation experience. For more information or to enter please see the  (this link leads to the World Bank competition, a third-party site. Read its and ). 

Entrants to this World Bank contest must be aged 18-25 at the time of entry and a citizen of one of the listed countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka). Contest closes 1 May 2025 at 3.59 GMT.

The final winners will be given opportunities to complete paid internships of six to 12 weeks at the World Bank office in the country where they live.

The final winners will also be given the opportunity to have a one day immersive experience at ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ Media Action offices to learn about content creation and storytelling.