Document Abstract
Published:
2010
The Global Gender Gap Report 2010
The Global Gender Gap Index was introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006, as a framework for capturing and measuring gender based disparities and tracking their progress. It seeks to highlight those countries that are role models in dividing resources equitably between women and men, regardless of their level of resources. In 2010, 134 countries were included in the index.
The index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories (or sub indexes): economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. The first section of the report considers the countries’ comparative rankings, presenting data from each of the four sub indexes, and by income group, region, and change over time. The second section of the report contains detailed country profiles that allow users to understand not only how close each country lies relative to the equality benchmark in each of the four critical areas, but also provide a snapshot of the legal and social framework within which these outcomes are produced.
Out of the 114 countries covered in 2006–2010, 98 countries (86%) have improved their performance, while 16 (14%) have widening gaps. In some countries, progress is occurring in a relatively short time; this is not limited to rich countries or to countries already near the top of the rankings. Overall, four Nordic countries continue to hold the highest positions in the index: Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
In the Latin America and Caribbean region, thirteen countries have fully closed their gender gaps in the heath and survival sub index, and five countries have fully closed gaps in educational attainment. But gaps remain in the economic participation and political empowerment areas. Trinidad and Tobago (21st position overall) holds the highest spot in the region, followed by Cuba (24th), Costa Rica (28th) and Argentina (29th).
The sub-Saharan Africa region performs well on the economic participation and opportunity sub index, ranking ahead of Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa. But poor enrolment rates and low levels of life expectancy continue to pose major challenges. Lesotho (8th position overall) takes the top spot in the region, followed by South Africa (12th ) and Mozambique (22nd). In the Middle East and North African region, Israel (52nd position overall) is the highest ranking country, followed by the United Arab Emirates (103rd), Kuwait (105th), and Tunisia (107th).
In Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand (5th position overall) and the Philippines (9th) lead the way. Sri Lanka (16th) is distinctive for being the only South Asian country in the top twenty for the fourth consecutive year. Australia (23rd) follows next, followed by Mongolia (27th), Singapore (56th) and Thailand (57th).
Several interconnected areas are highlighted in the report as conduits for the link between gender equality and productivity, growth and development. These are:
• Girls’ education
• Women’s labour force participation
• Women as consumers
• Women and spending decisions
• Women and leadership
The report stresses that the most important determinant of a country’s competitiveness is its human talent: the skills, education and productivity of its workforce. As women account for one half of the potential talent base throughout the world, gender equality is not only a matter of human rights and equity, it is also a prerequisite for efficiency; a nation’s competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilises its female talent.
The index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories (or sub indexes): economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. The first section of the report considers the countries’ comparative rankings, presenting data from each of the four sub indexes, and by income group, region, and change over time. The second section of the report contains detailed country profiles that allow users to understand not only how close each country lies relative to the equality benchmark in each of the four critical areas, but also provide a snapshot of the legal and social framework within which these outcomes are produced.
Out of the 114 countries covered in 2006–2010, 98 countries (86%) have improved their performance, while 16 (14%) have widening gaps. In some countries, progress is occurring in a relatively short time; this is not limited to rich countries or to countries already near the top of the rankings. Overall, four Nordic countries continue to hold the highest positions in the index: Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden.
In the Latin America and Caribbean region, thirteen countries have fully closed their gender gaps in the heath and survival sub index, and five countries have fully closed gaps in educational attainment. But gaps remain in the economic participation and political empowerment areas. Trinidad and Tobago (21st position overall) holds the highest spot in the region, followed by Cuba (24th), Costa Rica (28th) and Argentina (29th).
The sub-Saharan Africa region performs well on the economic participation and opportunity sub index, ranking ahead of Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, and the Middle East and North Africa. But poor enrolment rates and low levels of life expectancy continue to pose major challenges. Lesotho (8th position overall) takes the top spot in the region, followed by South Africa (12th ) and Mozambique (22nd). In the Middle East and North African region, Israel (52nd position overall) is the highest ranking country, followed by the United Arab Emirates (103rd), Kuwait (105th), and Tunisia (107th).
In Asia and the Pacific, New Zealand (5th position overall) and the Philippines (9th) lead the way. Sri Lanka (16th) is distinctive for being the only South Asian country in the top twenty for the fourth consecutive year. Australia (23rd) follows next, followed by Mongolia (27th), Singapore (56th) and Thailand (57th).
Several interconnected areas are highlighted in the report as conduits for the link between gender equality and productivity, growth and development. These are:
• Girls’ education
• Women’s labour force participation
• Women as consumers
• Women and spending decisions
• Women and leadership
The report stresses that the most important determinant of a country’s competitiveness is its human talent: the skills, education and productivity of its workforce. As women account for one half of the potential talent base throughout the world, gender equality is not only a matter of human rights and equity, it is also a prerequisite for efficiency; a nation’s competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilises its female talent.
