For Fathimath Nathasha Latheef, the sky is the limit. When she was younger, Latheef was not sure if she could ever become a pilot: “The idea of a female pilot was foreign to me because I never thought it could be possible,” she says. Today, Latheef is the Maldives' first female pilot to fly a commercial aircraft, the Airbus A320 – a remarkable feat in her 20-year aviation career.

Going against the grain can also boost earnings: according to the World Bank, globally, women who enter male-dominated sectors earn 67 percent higher salaries on average than women who remain in traditionally female-concentrated sectors.

On the other side of the Indian Ocean, Ligia Quiolia de Jesus B. Ferreira is on a unique journey of her own in Timor-Leste. She started her career as a civil engineer in 2016 and, like Latheef, is working in a traditionally male-dominated profession: the country’s infrastructure sector.

Ferreira played a crucial role in developing critical projects, including the Dili-Ainaro road, a 110-kilometer road corridor that connected the north and the south of the country, and the Tibar Bay Port, a state-of-the-art facility and Timor-Leste’s first public-private partnership (PPP), located on the outskirts of the capital, Dili.

While the female labor force participation rate in Timor-Leste is 61 percent – higher than the average rate of 58.6 percent in East Asia Pacific – according to the International Labor Organization, women in the country are more likely to be self-employed and less likely to have wage-earning jobs compared to men. They also own fewer businesses and comprise just 22 percent of senior and middle management roles.

In countries across Asia Pacific, enhancing women’s economic participation benefits countries and communities. Claricia Lay from Timor-Leste and Zahiyya Mohamed from Maldives are prime examples.

Over three decades ago, Lay began her entrepreneurial journey when she established Jacinto Supermarket, which quickly became a trusted household name in Timor-Leste. Building on this success, she launched Jacinto Department Store in 2008, creating a multi-level retail experience. Her ventures continued to expand. She also established Ocean Line Unipessoal Lda, Timor-Leste’s largest importer, and Mahanaim Garment and Manufacturing, a garment factory that creates local employment and provides specialized training.

Her journey was not just about growing the business. Lay, who is also the Vice President of Import and Export at the Chamber of Commerce in Timor-Leste, is a firm believer in ‘Feto Forte, Nação Forte’ (strong women, strong nation). She made it a priority to empower women within her companies, ensuring that women were represented at all levels of management. Out of her 175 employees, 95 are women, making up more than half of the workforce.

In Maldives, Zahiyya Mohamed, an entrepreneur, has made her mark in the unique business of fishhook crafting. Three decades ago, she noticed an increasing demand for specialized tuna hooks in the country and began producing high-quality handmade fishhooks and other fishing equipment. Her products were distributed across the capital Malé and to various islands. Her innovative approach was well-timed to support the rapidly expanding tuna fishing industry, a key economic driver for the island nation. Fisheries are the second-largest economic activity in Maldives, contributing approximately 3.6 percent to the annual gross domestic product (GDP) by 2021.

Much like Lay, Mohamed’s journey also extended to training women, including single mothers, in the art of fishhook crafting. She also shares marketing strategies, empowering her trainees to generate income and expand their businesses.