Israel ranked 37th in gender equality
World Economic Forum study attempts to assess current size of gender gap by measuring extent to which women in 58 countries have achieved equality with men; Nordic countries most advanced, U.S. only 17th
LONDON – Israel is ranked 37th out of 58 countries in gender equality, after Colombia, Russia, China and South Africa, a World Economic Forum's study released Monday showed.
According to the study, women in the Nordic countries are most likely to be paid on a par with men and experience equal job opportunities. At the other end of the spectrum, Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan have the widest economic gaps between men and women.
The World Economic Forum's report also singled out the United States for criticism, saying it lagged behind many Western European nations.
The report used criteria including equal pay for equal work and female access to the labor market to rank 58 countries - all 30 OECD nations and another 28 emerging markets -- on a "Gender Gap Index." It also examined the representation of women in politics, access to education and access to reproductive health care.
Israel's rankings:
- Economic participation - 28
- Economic opportunity - 40
- Political empowerment - 32
- Educational attainment - 28
- Health and well-being - 39
No country on the list managed to close the gap entirely, the Swiss-based think tank found.
"Gender inequality is one of the most prominent examples of injustice in the world today," Augusto Lopez-Claros, WEF Chief Economist and author of the report said.
He said that women continue to be discriminated against, often on the basis of cultural, religious and historical beliefs, and countries that fail to close the gender gap do so at their own risk.
"Countries that do not fully capitalize on one-half of their human resources are clearly undermining their competitive potential," Claros said.
He said the priority for closing the gap should be improving education prospects for women. Countries that do so benefit from falling adolescent pregnancy, greater income generation and associated overall wealth generation, Claros added.
"The education of girls is probably the most important catalyst for change in society," he said.
China highest-rated in Asia
The report found that Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland were best at narrowing the gap and providing a workable model for the rest of the world.
It noted that Nordic countries are characterized by strong liberal societies, government transparency, welfare systems and wide access for women to education, political and work opportunities.
The United States, the world's largest economy, was ranked 17th. Lopez-Clarez said the ranking was low compared to much of Western Europe because of a lack of maternity leave benefits, high young female unemployment compared to young male unemployment, high adolescent fertility and low representation of women in politics - women hold just 14 percent of seats in Congress, less than the global average.
In Europe, non-European Union Switzerland scored relatively badly at number 34. It got a good rating on health and political empowerment, but fared less well on equal pay and women in the work force.
Italy and Greece have the worst rankings in the EU, at 45 and 50 respectively, mainly because of women's lack of decision-making power and poor career prospects.
In Asia, China was the highest-rated country at number 33, scoring well on economic participation but badly on education and political empowerment. Japan is a few places behind at 38.
New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany and Australia rounded out the top 10 performers, while Pakistan, India, Mexico, Brazil, Greece and Venezuela completed the bottom 10.
