Global Gender Gap Report 2012: The Best And Worst Countries

Zoso

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/2 ... de=1677913

Not surprised to see western European countries ahead of the USA by far on this issue.. Even Canada, UK and Australia have work to do.


Gender equality has been more of a national focus than usual in the United States over the past few months, thanks to the 2012 presidential election. Republican nominee Mitt Romney recently discussed the "binders full of women" that he tried to hire when he was governor of Massachusetts, and President Barack Obama touched upon the importance of "protecting women's rights" around the world during the third and final presidential debate Monday.

But how does the United States stack up against other countries when it comes to said gender equality? According to the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, released on October 23rd by the World Economic Forum, we're only 22nd best.

The report ranks 135 countries (which collectively contain over 90 percent of the world's population) based on 14 indicators used to measure the size of a nation's gender gap is in four key areas:
1. Economic participation and opportunity, which includes female labor force participation, wage equality and the percentage of women in high-ranking jobs.
2. Educational attainment, which looks at female literacy and how frequently women are enrolled in higher education.
3. Health and survival, which is measured by comparing female and male life expectancy and mortality rates.
4. Political empowerment, which examines the number of women holding political office as well as the number of female heads of state over the last 50 years.

The report gives each country a score between 0 (total inequality) and 1 (total equality) for each of the 14 indicators, then averages these scores to determine a nation's final score and thus, its ranking.

Last year, the United States ranked 17th, just behind the United Kingdom and just ahead of Canda, with a score of .7412. This year, amid a whole lot of talk about women's rights and gender equality, the U.S. is ranked 22nd with a score of .7373 (its lowest since 2009).

The U.S. did manage to close the economic gender gap further even as its other scores slipped, along with fellow major economic powers, Japan and Germany. Unsurprisingly, several Western European nations (including several Scandinavian nations, which have a well-documented history of valuing social welfare and gender equality) continue to rank at the top of the World Economic Forum's index.

The one thing these rankings make clear is that there is still a whole lot of work to be done when it comes to creating policies that will give men and women equal opportunities for living economically successful, healthy and politically engaged lives.

riotgrl

Here is an infographic that I use with my classes to demonstrate this very thing. I can't actually post the graphic since it's blocked at work but here is the link which hopefully you can open.

http://armchairadvocates.com/2012/03/08/the-state-of-women-in-the-world-infographic/

Zoso

riotgrl wrote:

Here is an infographic that I use with my classes to demonstrate this very thing. I can't actually post the graphic since it's blocked at work but here is the link which hopefully you can open.

http://armchairadvocates.com/2012/03/08/the-state-of-women-in-the-world-infographic/

my aussies are up top.. if you don't mind

that's a really cool, simple graphic to highlight the differences in equality

cincybearcat

I always find this very interesting because in my life and my work, woman are treated either equal or appear to be given more opportunities.

So I have a tough time grasping what the issue really is in America. I know some of it comes down to the way we raise our kids with girls far more likely to be raised to be polite and not confrontational, which comes back to haunt them in the business world when negotiating starting salaries, raises, and promotions.

I think guys that get women pregnant and then don't parent, creating a single mom household that is often on governmental assistance where the mother does not have the time for more formal education and lacks the flexibility in hours that helps others get ahead is another part of it. And then those children are raised in that environment and far to often continue the trend.

pandora

Zoso wrote:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/24/global-gender-gap-report-2012-best-worst-countries-women_n_2006395.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009#slide=1677913

Not surprised to see western European countries ahead of the USA by far on this issue.. Even Canada, UK and Australia have work to do.


Gender equality has been more of a national focus than usual in the United States over the past few months, thanks to the 2012 presidential election. Republican nominee Mitt Romney recently discussed the "binders full of women" that he tried to hire when he was governor of Massachusetts, and President Barack Obama touched upon the importance of "protecting women's rights" around the world during the third and final presidential debate Monday.

But how does the United States stack up against other countries when it comes to said gender equality? According to the 2012 Global Gender Gap Report, released on October 23rd by the World Economic Forum, we're only 22nd best.

The report ranks 135 countries (which collectively contain over 90 percent of the world's population) based on 14 indicators used to measure the size of a nation's gender gap is in four key areas:
1. Economic participation and opportunity, which includes female labor force participation, wage equality and the percentage of women in high-ranking jobs.
2. Educational attainment, which looks at female literacy and how frequently women are enrolled in higher education.
3. Health and survival, which is measured by comparing female and male life expectancy and mortality rates.
4. Political empowerment, which examines the number of women holding political office as well as the number of female heads of state over the last 50 years.

The report gives each country a score between 0 (total inequality) and 1 (total equality) for each of the 14 indicators, then averages these scores to determine a nation's final score and thus, its ranking.

Last year, the United States ranked 17th, just behind the United Kingdom and just ahead of Canda, with a score of .7412. This year, amid a whole lot of talk about women's rights and gender equality, the U.S. is ranked 22nd with a score of .7373 (its lowest since 2009).

The U.S. did manage to close the economic gender gap further even as its other scores slipped, along with fellow major economic powers, Japan and Germany. Unsurprisingly, several Western European nations (including several Scandinavian nations, which have a well-documented history of valuing social welfare and gender equality) continue to rank at the top of the World Economic Forum's index.

The one thing these rankings make clear is that there is still a whole lot of work to be done when it comes to creating policies that will give men and women equal opportunities for living economically successful, healthy and politically engaged lives.

So it dropped under our Democratic leadership and 'a whole lotta talk' is what did it?
I'm confused
Or did other countries just improve causing our ranking to drop to 22nd?

Iceland is the best

good read...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/may/18/iceland

I'm a Viking chick and proud of it

hedonist

cincybearcat wrote:

I always find this very interesting because in my life and my work, woman are treated either equal or appear to be given more opportunities.

Same here...and actually I've found that within my mother's middle-eastern culture, some of the women given those opportunities chose to go the traditional route. And it's fine by me, as it was their choice to do so.

Of course the chauvinistic mindset will always be around, but I've found that equality among the sexes is now the rule, not the exception.

cincybearcat wrote:

I think guys that get women pregnant and then don't parent, creating a single mom household that is often on governmental assistance where the mother does not have the time for more formal education and lacks the flexibility in hours that helps others get ahead is another part of it. And then those children are raised in that environment and far to often continue the trend.

This part, cincy...it seems to discount that it takes two to tango. Responsibility to NOT get pregnant falls on both tango-ers.

And if birth control isn't affordable to prevent having those children, then...don't have sex - or find more "creative" ways to get yer rocks off.

riotgrl

hedonist wrote:

cincybearcat wrote:

I always find this very interesting because in my life and my work, woman are treated either equal or appear to be given more opportunities.

Same here...and actually I've found that within my mother's middle-eastern culture, some of the women given those opportunities chose to go the traditional route. And it's fine by me, as it was their choice to do so.

Of course the chauvinistic mindset will always be around, but I've found that equality among the sexes is now the rule, not the exception.

cincybearcat wrote:

I think guys that get women pregnant and then don't parent, creating a single mom household that is often on governmental assistance where the mother does not have the time for more formal education and lacks the flexibility in hours that helps others get ahead is another part of it. And then those children are raised in that environment and far to often continue the trend.

This part, cincy...it seems to discount that it takes two to tango. Responsibility to NOT get pregnant falls on both tango-ers.

And if birth control isn't affordable to prevent having those children, then...don't have sex - or find more "creative" ways to get yer rocks off.

I kinda sorta disagree with both sentiments that it is more or less equal. On the one hand, it is certain far better than it ever has been. And often, women are choosing to delay or interrupt their careers to raise families BUT that is, in part, a remnant of our societal values that still believe in the division of the sexes. I can't deny that and maybe your experience is different. I am married to an amazing man that earns slightly more than I do and he does help out around the house but we were both brought up in traditional households and even though we make a conscious effort to share responsibilities, many times I am primarily responsible for home. I am sure that will change for my daughter but for now not as much.

Second, within the work place I still find that women, in education at least, are still second class citizens. More women are teachers, more men are administrators, which for my career, accounts for the discrepancies in pay. Again, mostly because women are the ones staying home and taking care of the kids. I acknowledge that these are choices but it still plays into our traditional belief system about the roles for men and women.