Another 131 years to close global gender gap, World Economic Forum report finds
- Iceland took the top position for the 14th year, having closed 91.2 per cent of its overall gender gap – the only country with a figure above 90 per cent
- The US dropped to 43rd on the list, down from 27th last year, from the 146 countries examined in areas such as economy, education, health, and politics
Gender equality is starting to feel like a far-off dream especially as it could take the world another 131 years to close the gender gap, according to the World Economic Forum.
The WEF published its 2023 Global Gender Gap Report this week and examined gender parity across 146 countries, finding that the gender gap has closed across a variety of areas of society by 68.4 per cent globally, up 0.3 per cent from 2022’s 68.1 per cent score.
The gender gap measures equality across areas like the economy, education, health, and politics, according to WEF.
The slow rate of progress means it won’t be until 2154 that we reach full gender parity between men and women, the WEF’s report says, basing that number on the gender gap closing at the same rate every year.
It will take 162 years to close the political empowerment gender gap, and 169 years to close the economic participation and opportunity gap, while no clear timeline is known for the health and survival gap.
