Over the past decade, up to the COVID19 pandemic of 2020, Cambodia has enjoyed robust economic growth averaging 7.4%  as well as notable improvements in socio-economic development, with one of the regions fastest rate of improvement in its Human Development Index . Progress on women’s labour participation has also been significant. Female labour force participation rate in Cambodia was higher than in neighboring countries.

Despite this, the wage gap between women and men remains a challenge, representing an enduring barrier for women job seekers, and for both men and women in its negative impact on productivity and economic growth. With COVID-19’s social and economic impacts having turned both GDP and Human Development negative , for the first time since the civil war period, the opportunity to create a more equitable and efficient labour market has never been more important.