Change Is Essential to Close the Gender Gap: Thailand’s Push for GRP and Women’s Empowerment

A global landscape of progress on gender parity shows that while strides have been made, disparities persist across economies and sectors. The latest data highlight the need for deeper, more targeted policy action to convert momentum into measurable gains for women’s economic participation. In Thailand, the gap remains visible despite notable milestones, signaling that inclusive growth requires a broader set of tools, including gender-responsive procurement and robust support for women entrepreneurs. This article revisits the key findings, digs into the underlying drivers, and outlines concrete steps Thailand can take to accelerate progress while aligning with global development goals.

Global context and Thailand’s standing in the gender parity landscape

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024 serves as a comprehensive barometer of gender parity across 146 economies, measuring how far each country has progressed in closing gaps between women and men in four critical dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. The report reveals that the global gender gap has closed by 68.5 percent, signaling meaningful progress since prior years. Yet the report also projects that at the current pace, achieving full gender parity is still a distant goal, estimated to take an additional 134 years. This juxtaposition—significant improvements alongside a long runway to parity—sets the context for a nuanced national conversation about where bottlenecks remain and how policy can address them.

Against this global backdrop, Thailand’s position raises important questions for policy makers, business leaders, and civil society. Thailand ranks 65th on the index, trailing behind neighboring economies such as the Philippines, which sits at 25th, and Singapore, at 48th. This ordering might surprise some observers in Thailand who assume that national milestones—such as having two female prime ministers and celebrating marriage equality—indicate a level of gender equality that is close to universal. To understand the discrepancy between symbolic progress and substantive economic parity, one must examine the structural factors that shape women’s participation in the labor market and the broader economy. The gap is not simply about personal choices or cultural norms; it is also about access to opportunities, the availability of supportive policies, and the degree to which the business environment is designed to harness women’s talents.

From a demographic and social policy perspective, Thailand’s population as of February stood at 65.9 million, with women comprising 51.3 percent and men 48.7 percent. This slightly female-skewed age structure is partly a function of longevity differences—women live longer on average, with life expectancy around 80 years compared to approximately 71.9 years for men. Longevity alone, however, does not guarantee a higher quality of life or economic security in old age. In Thailand, as in many other economies, long life expectancy intersects with pension gaps, insufficient retirement savings, and intermittently secure income streams for women, which can compound insecurity in later years. The gender dimension of aging carries both social and economic implications, influencing decisions about labor force participation, caregiving responsibilities, and retirement planning.

In terms of labor force participation, there is a persistent gender gap. Over the past decade, the female participation rate in the workforce has hovered around 60 percent, while male participation has remained above 75 percent. This divergence points to structural impediments that disproportionately affect women. In Thailand, a portion of men of working age (ages 15–60) are drawn away from the formal labor market due to commitments to monkhood or military service—pathways that are typically not open to women. This dynamic partly explains some of the observed differences in overall employment metrics between genders, but it does not absolve the country of responsibility for addressing the sector-specific barriers that keep women from fully engaging in economic activity.

The broader implications of these metrics are clear: while Thailand has achieved notable social and political milestones for gender equality, the translation of those gains into sustained economic participation remains uneven. The country’s experience underscores a fundamental truth in modern development policy: symbolic milestones must be complemented by concrete, scalable policies that remove barriers to economic participation and empowerment for women across multiple stages of life—from education and early career development to caregiving duties, entrepreneurship, and leadership roles in business and government.

Demographics, caregiving, and labor-market dynamics in Thailand

A deeper examination of Thailand’s demographics and labor-market dynamics reveals the nuanced factors that shape women’s economic outcomes. The country’s population structure, coupled with life expectancy differentials, creates a landscape where many women confront longer life spans with the same or shorter earning horizons, increasing the importance of securing adequate financial resources throughout retirement. The data show a significant, persistent difference between male and female labor-force participation, with women around 60 percent and men around 75 percent. This gap is not merely a statistical curiosity; it translates into fewer women in key decision-making roles, slower accumulation of pension rights, and a higher risk of financial insecurity in later life for women.

Care responsibilities sit at the heart of many of these dynamics. In Thailand, as in many otherMiddle-income countries, women are the primary caregivers for children, elderly relatives, and disabled family members. The caregiving burden can have a dual impact: it restricts the time and energy women can devote to full-time employment and, over the long run, can curtail opportunities for professional advancement, specialization, and leadership positions. The implication is that even when women are educated and capable, the demands of caregiving can shape career trajectories, potentially resulting in slower progression up the ladder or exits from the workforce during critical economic windows. This phenomenon helps explain, in part, why labor-force participation remains lower for women, and it highlights the need for policies that alleviate caregiving pressures and support women’s continued engagement in the labor market.

Another layer of context comes from the structure of businesses and leadership roles within the economy. Data from the National Statistical Office’s Labour Force Survey for 2024 indicate that women accounted for 26 percent of Thailand’s 929,700 employers. While there is no readily available sex-disaggregated database for all businesses, the broader consensus suggests that most micro and small-sized enterprises (MSMEs) within the country are owned or led by women. These enterprises play a critical role in local economies, often providing essential services and filling gaps in the market that larger firms may overlook. Yet women entrepreneurs frequently encounter obstacles that hinder growth, including limited access to financial services, compulsory caregiving demands, and workplace discrimination. The combination of limited financing options, caregiving responsibilities, and discriminatory barriers can constrain the scale and reach of women-owned businesses, thereby limiting their potential to generate jobs, raise productivity, and contribute more substantially to national GDP.

Beyond these direct barriers, the structural environment in which women operate—ranging from access to capital and digital infrastructure to mentorship networks and access to markets—shapes outcomes. When women participate in the formal economy, their spending patterns—often directed toward household needs such as education, healthcare, and family welfare—have a pronounced multiplier effect. The idea that women contribute not only to personal wealth but also to the welfare of their families and communities underscores the broader socio-economic value of advancing gender equality. While this effect has been studied in various contexts, the core takeaway remains consistent: empowering women economically can trigger ripple effects that extend well beyond individual incomes, contributing to improvements in household education levels, health outcomes, and community resilience.

Within this broader framework, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide an aspirational blueprint for aligning national strategies with global objectives. Projections tied to achieving gender equality across the economy suggest significant economic upside. In particular, if gender parity advances across different economic dimensions, global gross domestic product (GDP) could rise by as much as US$28 trillion, a figure that underscores the macroeconomic significance of gender-inclusive growth. This potential is anchored in several well-documented channels: women’s increased participation expands the labor force; women’s entrepreneurship broadens the base of business activity; and gender-equitable policies can enhance productivity, innovation, and consumer welfare. The multiplier effect of women’s employment and enterprise creation—women reinvesting a large share of their income into households, education, healthcare, and entrepreneurship—can accelerate progress toward universal well-being and stronger economies.

In this context, Thai policymakers and business leaders increasingly recognize that the path to stronger growth lies not only in improving access to opportunities for men but in removing structural barriers that hinder women’s full participation. A growing body of evidence points to the fact that improving the environment for women—through targeted training, accessible finance, safer and more flexible workplaces, and supportive family policies—has the potential to unlock a significant portion of latent economic energy within the country. The focus is shifting from a narrow feminist agenda to a broader economic strategy that views gender equality as a core driver of sustainable development and resilient growth. This reframing is essential if Thailand intends to translate symbolic milestones into durable gains that improve living standards, reduce poverty, and foster inclusive prosperity across urban and rural communities alike.

Barriers to women’s labor-market participation: care burdens, workplace challenges, and leadership gaps

A central obstacle to deeper women’s participation in the Thai labor market is the heavy burden of caregiving, which disproportionately falls on women. In practice, this means women are frequently responsible for caring for children, elderly relatives, and family members with disabilities. The timing of caregiving responsibilities often coincides with critical career-building years, including the pursuit of higher education, early-stage job experiences, and rapid skill development. As a result, many women encounter a difficult decision matrix: pursue professional advancement and risk neglecting caregiving duties, or prioritize family responsibilities at the expense of long-term career growth. This trade-off can produce a cumulative effect on women’s earnings, job stability, and progression into senior leadership roles. The challenge extends beyond individual choices; it reflects structural inefficiencies in the social support system, including the availability and affordability of high-quality caregiving services, flexible work arrangements, and affordable childcare options. Addressing these caregiving costs is essential to expanding women’s access to full-time employment, promotion opportunities, and long-term financial security.

In addition to caregiving dynamics, the business landscape itself presents notable barriers to women’s advancement. The Labour Force Survey by the National Statistical Office in 2024 indicates that women constitute roughly 26 percent of employers among Thailand’s nearly 1 million employers. This relatively small share suggests that women are underrepresented in ownership and leadership roles within the formal economy, which translates into a narrower pipeline of women in senior decision-making positions. Even in sectors where women may be active participants, leadership roles frequently remain male-dominated, with limited pathways to board seats, C-suite positions, and influential policy-making posts. The underrepresentation of women in business leadership has cascading effects, including less diverse perspectives in strategic decision-making, slower adoption of inclusive policies within organizations, and reduced access to networks and capital that are often essential for scaling operations.

Moreover, the absence of sex-disaggregated data for many types of enterprises creates challenges for designing targeted interventions. Without precise visibility into how many women-owned businesses exist, their sectoral distribution, and the specific barriers they face, policymakers may find it difficult to tailor programs that meaningfully improve access to finance, markets, and technology. The lack of granular data can also hinder the establishment of benchmarks and the evaluation of policy impact over time. This gap highlights the need for a robust data ecosystem that tracks gender dimensions across ownership, leadership, and workforce participation within the enterprise sector.

Access to finance remains a persistent barrier for women-owned businesses and women considering entrepreneurship. Women often contend with more stringent collateral requirements, higher perceived risk, and shorter credit histories, which can translate into higher borrowing costs or denial of credit. Even when financing is available, the terms may be less favorable, including higher interest rates, shorter repayment tenors, and restricted utilization of funds for growth-related investments. These financial constraints impede the scale-up of women-led MSMEs, which, in turn, constrains job creation and productivity gains.

Beyond financial and caregiving constraints, workplace discrimination can undermine women’s ability to pursue and sustain professional advancement. Subtle biases, stereotypes, and unequal access to training and development opportunities can limit women’s participation in skill-building programs, leadership training, and mentorship networks. A lack of inclusive workplace cultures can also deter women from seeking promotions or negotiating for wages that reflect their contributions. The cumulative effect of these factors is a slower trajectory toward leadership for women and a higher likelihood that qualified women opt out or remain on the periphery of corporate influence.

These barriers intersect with broader economic and policy environments. When policy frameworks do not actively promote gender equity in procurement, education, and employment, the natural advantages that accompany male-dominated networks and resource access can consolidate into persistent disparities. Conversely, when governments and private sectors adopt intentional strategies to dismantle these barriers—through inclusive education, targeted financing, family-friendly workplace practices, and anti-discrimination enforcement—women’s potential to contribute to growth expands in a robust and sustainable manner. The Thai experience demonstrates that addressing caregiving burdens, improving access to capital, and fostering inclusive leadership are not only matters of justice but essential levers of macroeconomic resilience and inclusive prosperity.

Subsection: The care economy and productivity

A practical way to understand the impact of caregiving on productivity is to recognize how time and energy devoted to unpaid care activities translate into opportunity costs for the labor market. When women allocate substantial portions of their work hours to caregiving, they may reduce their paid work time, forgo overtime, or delay career progression. This dynamic has measurable implications for total hours worked, productivity levels, and the growth trajectory of firms and the broader economy. The problem is not only personal; it is institutional. Without supportive policies that reduce the unpaid caregiving burden—such as affordable childcare, flexible work arrangements, and caregiver supports—governments risk underutilizing a substantial portion of the potential female workforce.

In practice, policy responses that are designed to mitigate these costs can yield dual benefits: more women participating in paid work and productivity gains for the economy as a whole. For example, expanding access to high-quality, affordable early childhood education and after-school programs can reduce the time burden on families and enable women to engage in the labor market more consistently and at higher levels of intensity. Similarly, flexible work arrangements and remote or hybrid models can help workers balance caregiving duties with professional responsibilities, thereby increasing retention and advancement opportunities for women. When these measures are integrated into a comprehensive policy framework, they can create a virtuous cycle: higher female labor participation leads to greater household income, increased demand for goods and services, and broader tax revenues that can be reinvested in social programs.

Subsection: Women entrepreneurs and market access

The entrepreneurship landscape provides another critical axis for understanding gender dynamics. While women in Thailand appear underrepresented among employers, many women lead micro and small businesses, which form the backbone of local economies and can catalyze inclusive growth. However, these women-owned enterprises often face sizable constraints, including limited access to financial resources, restricted market access, and difficulties navigating regulatory environments. Overcoming these barriers requires targeted interventions that address both the supply and demand sides of the market. On the supply side, dedicated financing products, more favorable terms, and support services such as mentorship and business development can help women entrepreneurs scale their ventures. On the demand side, public procurement policies and supplier diversity initiatives can open new markets for women-led firms, creating stable revenue streams and opportunities for growth.

In this context, it is important to acknowledge the broader macroeconomic benefits of women’s entrepreneurship. Women’s earnings contribute to household expenditures on education, health, and savings for the next generation of workers, amplifying social and economic returns beyond the individual business. This multiplier effect can strengthen consumer demand, diversify the economy, and improve resilience against shocks by broadening the base of economic actors. Policymakers can maximize these benefits by promoting inclusive financial ecosystems, reducing barriers to entry for women-led businesses, and ensuring that policies promote fair competition and innovation rather than merely supporting a select group of incumbents.

Gender-responsive procurement as a strategic lever for inclusion and growth

A pivotal strategy for accelerating gender parity in the economy lies in pursuing gender-responsive procurement (GRP). GRP refers to procurement approaches that deliberately consider gender equality and women’s empowerment in the planning, bidding, awarding, and implementation of contracts. The central idea is to ensure that government agencies and private sector buyers evaluate and design contracts in ways that advance women’s interests and reduce gender inequalities. In practical terms, this means buyers and suppliers jointly assessing how contracted activities affect women and men differently and shaping procurement requirements to promote equitable outcomes.

Procurement, as a policy tool, provides a powerful channel for expanding market access, improving financial stability, and driving growth for businesses owned or led by women. It can create predictable demand, support scale-up, and incentivize firms to invest in women’s leadership, technical expertise, and workforce development. However, as of 2022, UN Women reported a striking gap: only about 1 percent of global public and private procurement spending is awarded to women-owned businesses (WOBs), despite women owning around one in three businesses worldwide. This gap highlights both a considerable opportunity and a pressing need for targeted policy design and implementation to unlock the full potential of GRP.

GRP works best when integrated into broader supplier-diversity and inclusive procurement frameworks that emphasize transparency, accountability, and measurable outcomes. Core elements often include setting clear targets or quotas for WOB/GRE participation, offering capacity-building programs, and ensuring that procurement processes are accessible and fair. Equally important are transparency measures that enable monitoring and evaluation, ensuring that opportunities flow to those who meet defined criteria and that performance is tracked over time. By aligning procurement practices with gender-equitable business development strategies, GRP can contribute to broader objectives such as innovation, resilience, and market competitiveness.

The case for GRP is supported by several international examples. Vietnam, for instance, offers preferential bidding treatment for construction service providers employing at least 25 percent female workers, creating a clear incentive for firms to increase women’s participation in the workforce. South Korea has taken a legislative route, with its Act on Support for Female-Owned Businesses mandating, since 2017, that at least 5 percent of successful public procurement bidders be women-owned businesses. In the Philippines, the policy landscape was refined in 2022 with a formal definition of “women-owned businesses” to drive their inclusion in procurement opportunities. These examples illustrate that GRP is not a theoretical concept but a practical instrument capable of altering the competitive dynamics of public and private procurement.

In the Thai context, there is a strong case for adopting and advancing GRP as part of an integrated approach to gender equality and economic growth. The Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP) has already introduced a formal definition of women-owned businesses (WOBs), establishing a foundational step toward more systematic data collection and policy action. The next step involves applying this definition to develop a sex-disaggregated database that identifies WOBs and maps their distribution across sectors and regions. Such a database would enable more targeted promotional measures, enabling policymakers and practitioners to direct support, finance, and market access initiatives to the most productive and under-served segments of women-owned enterprises. The result would be a more inclusive economy with higher participation by women in procurement, stronger supply chains, and improved resilience to external shocks.

Subsection: The logic of supplier diversity and its benefits

Diversifying the supplier base through GRP is not only a social objective; it also yields tangible business benefits. Companies and government agencies that implement supplier-diversity programs often experience more robust innovation, as providers bring different perspectives, capabilities, and processes to the table. GRP initiatives can reduce dependency risks by broadening the pool of suppliers and reducing the concentration of procurement with a narrow set of vendors. This diversification can strengthen supply chain resilience, especially in times of global disruption, by ensuring that a broader network of firms can respond to demand fluctuations and supply interruptions. In addition, GRP can improve market competitiveness by encouraging more firms to invest in product development, quality assurance, and customer service, knowing that there is a credible pathway to contracts for women-owned and gender-responsive enterprises.

For Thailand, the policy implications of GRP are twofold: (1) to unlock a significant but latent segment of the economy—women-owned and gender-responsive firms—by expanding their access to public and private procurement opportunities, and (2) to catalyze broader changes in the business environment that encourage women’s leadership, innovation, and scale. The first step, creating robust data on WOBs and GREs, will illuminate the current landscape and reveal gaps in capacity and access to resources. The subsequent steps include designing procurement policies that set clear targets, offering capacity-building support, and ensuring process transparency. When these steps are implemented in a coordinated way, they have a higher likelihood of producing measurable gains in women’s participation and, by extension, broader economic growth and social well-being.

Subsection: Practical pathways for Thailand to implement GRP

To translate GRP from concept to measurable outcomes, Thailand can pursue several practical pathways. First, provide a formal and well-defined definition of women-owned businesses (WOBs) that can be consistently applied across procurement processes. This definition should be complemented by a sex-disaggregated database that catalogues WOBs by sector, region, and firm size, enabling targeted outreach and monitoring. Second, set clear procurement targets for WOB participation in both public and private sectors, complemented by incentives for compliance and penalties for noncompliance, with a strong emphasis on transparency and accountability. Third, develop training, mentorship, and access-to-finance programs that help WOBs meet the technical, financial, and compliance requirements of larger contracts. Fourth, ensure that procurement processes are accessible and inclusive, including simplified bidding procedures, language accessibility, and support for firms with limited administrative capacity. Fifth, align GRP with broader economic-development goals, including digital transformation, upskilling, and regional economic diversification, so that WOBs participate in high-growth sectors and supply chains that drive productivity.

The anticipated benefits of Thailand’s GRP adoption extend beyond immediate procurement outcomes. By fostering supplier diversity and supporting GREs—businesses that employ a higher-than-average share of women—the policy can contribute to improved innovation, reduced supplier dependency risks, and strengthened supply chain resilience. It also aligns with social equity objectives by expanding economic opportunities for women and supporting the development of inclusive markets that reflect the diversity of Thailand’s population. With a robust data infrastructure and a well-designed policy framework, GRP can play a central role in bridging gender gaps in economic participation and elevating women’s leadership in business and public life.

Thailand’s path forward: policy suggestions, implementation steps, and stakeholder roles

Thailand stands at a pivotal juncture where strategic policy design and disciplined execution can accelerate progress toward gender equality in economic participation. A practical, action-oriented pathway would involve a sequence of steps that build on existing foundations, expand data-driven insights, and foster collaboration across government, business, and civil society. The core thrust should be to translate social milestones into durable economic gains by creating enabling conditions for women’s participation in leadership, entrepreneurship, and procurement. The following interlocking actions outline a comprehensive approach.

First, codify and operationalize the definition of women-owned businesses (WOBs) and establish a sex-disaggregated enterprise database. This foundational step would enable precise targeting of financing, training, and procurement initiatives. The data infrastructure should track ownership, leadership, sector, location, scale, and other relevant attributes, with regular updates and public dashboards to improve transparency and accountability. A robust dataset would support evidence-based policy design, allow for trend analysis, and facilitate impact evaluation.

Second, advance gender-responsive procurement (GRP) by setting ambitious but achievable targets for WOB participation in both public and private procurement processes. The targets should be accompanied by clear timelines, monitoring mechanisms, and incentives to reward compliance. Procurement policies should emphasize efficiency, transparency, and competition, while ensuring that contracts are awarded on merit and in ways that promote gender equity. The policy design should also consider potential unintended consequences, such as market distortions or unintended barriers for certain firms, and incorporate safeguards to minimize such risks.

Third, expand capacity-building programs for women-owned and gender-responsive enterprises. These programs would provide critical support in areas such as business development, financial literacy, access to finance, export readiness, digital adoption, and compliance with procurement requirements. Mentorship networks and peer-learning platforms can complement formal training, enabling women business owners to share experiences, exchange best practices, and develop leadership skills. Public-private partnerships can help scale these initiatives, ensuring sustainable financing and knowledge transfer.

Fourth, improve access to finance for women-led businesses. This includes expanding loan products tailored to women entrepreneurs, reducing collateral requirements where appropriate, and offering guarantees or credit-enhancement facilities to reduce perceived risk for lenders. Financial institutions, development banks, and government-backed programs can collaborate to create an enabling environment that encourages banks to extend more favorable credit terms to women-led enterprises. Streamlined credit assessment processes and digital financial tools can further reduce barriers for smaller firms and early-stage ventures.

Fifth, address caregiving and family-support needs through targeted social policies. This involves expanding access to affordable, quality childcare, caregiver support services, and flexible workplace arrangements that allow women to balance family responsibilities with professional ambitions. By easing caregiving pressures, policies can enable women to participate more fully in the labor market, pursue training and advancement opportunities, and maintain long-term engagement in paid work. Employers’ adoption of family-friendly practices, including flexible scheduling, remote work options, and supportive leave policies, would reinforce these gains.

Sixth, promote women’s leadership and representation across economic and public life. Initiatives should aim to increase the share of women in senior management, corporate boards, and political institutions. This could involve leadership development programs, targeted recruitment efforts, and incentives for organizations that reach gender-diverse leadership benchmarks. A long-term objective would be to ensure that the policy environment at national and local levels reflects the diversity of the population and fosters inclusive decision-making across sectors.

Seventh, strengthen monitoring, evaluation, and accountability. A robust system for tracking progress toward GRP targets, WOB participation, and related outcomes is essential. Regular reviews can identify areas where policy adjustments are needed and help maintain momentum. Public reporting on progress can also build trust and legitimacy, encouraging continued engagement from all stakeholders.

Finally, foster regional and international collaboration to share best practices, learn from other countries’ GRP experiences, and align national strategies with global development goals. Thailand can benefit from cross-border exchanges that illuminate effective policy designs, financing mechanisms, and procurement reforms. Collaborative efforts can also help harmonize data standards and measurement methodologies, enabling more accurate benchmarking and more meaningful comparisons over time.

The case for a coordinated, data-driven, and equity-centered approach is strong. By combining GRP with targeted financing, capacity-building, caregiving support, leadership development, and rigorous monitoring, Thailand can unlock a larger share of women’s economic potential and translate symbolic progress into tangible, broad-based benefits. The link between gender equality and economic prosperity is clear: when women participate more fully in production, innovation, and decision-making, the economy grows more robust, resilient, and inclusive. This is not merely an ideal; it is a practical blueprint for sustained development, social equity, and shared prosperity.

Conclusion

Thailand faces a complex set of realities: a population with a slight female majority, longer life expectancy for women, persistent gaps in labor-market participation, and a business landscape where women’s leadership is still not fully realized. While progress has been made in social and political spheres, the economic parity gap remains a concrete challenge that calls for strategic interventions. The Global Gender Gap Report 2024 underscores that global gains are real but incremental, and national responses must be intentional, multifaceted, and data-informed to move from incremental improvements to transformative change.

Key takeaways point toward a practical policy agenda anchored in data, transparency, and targeted support. Establishing a clear and widely applicable definition of women-owned businesses, creating sex-disaggregated enterprise data, and setting explicit procurement targets can unlock new market opportunities for women entrepreneurs and within the broader supply chain. Complementary steps—improving access to finance, expanding caregiving support, and promoting women’s leadership—are essential to sustain momentum and ensure that gains persist across generations. The Thai policy framework will benefit from a holistic design that integrates GRP with broader economic and social strategies, thereby turning the country’s social milestones into durable, inclusive growth.

Boonwara Sumano, PhD, a senior research fellow at the Thailand Development Research Institute, highlights that the next logical step after defining women-owned businesses and collecting the data is to translate that knowledge into practical, scalable interventions. The alignment of data-driven policy with proactive procurement reforms can shape a more inclusive economy that harnesses the full spectrum of women’s talents. As Thailand considers adopting and expanding gender-responsive procurement, the potential benefits extend beyond the balance sheet, contributing to social well-being, economic resilience, and sustainable development for the country as a whole. The path is challenging, but the opportunities for meaningful and lasting impact are substantial.