SINGAPORE (Reuters) – They're confident, hold the household purse-strings and earn good money: More women in the Asia Pacific area this year are feeling empowered and optimistic about the future after 2009's economic woes, a survey shows.

The region's overall score in the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women's Advancement rose to 85.57 this year compared to 84.47 in 2009, with women in half of the 14 countries surveyed – spanning from Australia to Japan – feeling their socioeconomic standing in relation to men had improved.

The survey showed that even more women were signing up for university degrees and a slightly higher proportion
of women perceive themselves to be earning above the average income – 80 index points compared to 75 in 2009.

''Women continue to make strides in labor force participation and tertiary education enrollment and we are glad to see this translating into a greater sense of self-worth,'' said Georgette Tan, MasterCard's vice president of communications for Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa.