U.S. gender gap gets even wider
Ladies, if we want the most gender equality, we'd best pack our bags. For Scandinavia.
According to the eighth annual Global Gender Gap Report released in October by the World Economic Forum, the top four countries for equal opportunities - economic, health, educational, and political - are Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden, all well-known for advanced policies promoting gender equality.
The U.S. didn't even make the top 10. Worse, it doesn't rank among the top 20. Worse still, it dropped down one from 2012.
Who's ranked higher? Aside from Austria, the Philippines, and Europe (northern and western), consider Nicaragua - 10, Cuba - 15, and South Africa - 17. The U.K. is next at 18 and Canada is 20. Toward the low end are India (101), Chad (134), and Pakistan (135). Yemen is last.
In education, American women actually fare well, with only a negligible gap. It gets wider with health, but where we really show poorly by comparison with other developed nations is politics (e.g. 18 percent of the 113th Congress is female). Elsewhere apparently women more easily find political parity.
The report ranks 136 countries, representing more than 93 percent of the world's population, according to the degree of gender differences in four primary areas:
1. Economic opportunity (salaries, participation, and highly skilled employment)
2. Education (access more than accomplishment)
3. Political empowerment (representation in decision-making structures)
4. Health and survival (comparative life expectancy)
The 2013 report found 86 countries improved their gender gap between 2012 and 2013, with political participation as the area of greatest progress. The U.S. was not one of these.
The report states that overall, in terms of education the gender gap has improved globally, standing at 93 percent closed, with 25 countries having closed their gaps completely. The gaps for economic equality and political participation are only 60 percent and 21 percent closed, respectively.
Unfortunately, relative to the numbers of women in higher education and in the workforce overall, women's presence in economic leadership positions in both developed and developing countries is clearly limited. Ironically other studies have shown a clear correlation between nations' economic growth and female participation. In short, empowering women improves economies, reduces poverty rates and increases family health rates. So what are we waiting for?
Read the full report at Weforum.org.
Sholeh Patrick, J.D. is a columnist for the Hagadone News Network. Contact her at [email protected].