More and more women are taking up paid work. But on a global scale women are still only earning what men earned ten years ago, whilst men's pay has moved on. In 97 countries more women than men are university students, but women only make up the majority of skilled workers in 68 countries. Even worse, women make up the majority of leaders in only four countries in the world.
The gender gap is closing in the political world, although there is room for improvement. In some cases, voluntary political quotas have made progress possible.
The Global Gender Gap Report ranks 145 countries on their ability to close the gender gap in economic participation and opportunity (salaries, participation and leadership), education (access to basic and higher levels of education), health and survival (life expectancy and the sex ratio), and political empowerment (representation in decision-making structures).
According to the report the ten most gender equal countries are Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, Ireland, Rwanda, Philippines, Switzerland, Slovenia and New Zealand. The lowest ranked country in the index is Yemen.
Apart from any human rights arguments, gender inequality is not conducive to economic growth.
IndustriALL assistant general secretary Monika Kemperle, says:
It will take another three generations to reach economic equality with men. We need to mobilize the social partners to speed up this process; even in countries with good laws they are not always implemented. Equal pay for women and men is ultimately a decent work issue."
Find the report at www.weforum.org