Gender Equality Gap: 131 Years to Close, Says Report

According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum, gender equality worldwide may take another 131 years to achieve. The report, released on June 21, reveals the slow pace of progress in closing the Gender Gap, estimating that women may not attain parity with men until 2154. The study assesses equality across four dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Since the launch of the Gender Gap Index in 2006, global parity has advanced by a mere 4.1 percentage points.

Key findings indicate that at the current rate of progress, it will take 131 years to close the overall gender gap. Economic and political parity might require 169 and 162 years, respectively, while a clear timeline is not provided for health and survival. On a positive note, educational attainment parity is projected to be achieved within 16 years. Iceland leads the list for the 14th consecutive year, with 91.2% of its gender gap closed.

The United States witnessed a decline in its ranking from 27th to 43rd place, mainly due to decreased political empowerment. The last five countries on the list, including Pakistan, Iran, Algeria, Chad, and Afghanistan, scored below 60%, with Afghanistan being the only nation below 50%.

Regarding India’s ranking, it improved by eight positions compared to the previous year, ranking 127th out of 146 countries. India has closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap, achieving parity in education but lagging in economic participation and opportunity.

–Re-reported from the article originally published in Wion