The state of global gender equality is on a troubling decline. According to a new report from the World Economic Forum, it could take up to 131 years to bridge the global gender gap. The Global Gender Gap Report 2023 was released Wednesday just as a number of women’s rights continue to be targeted around the world.
Saadia Zahidi is the managing director at the WEF. Zahidi says that the slow progress in closing these gaps, “creates an urgent case for renewed and concerted action.”
An Uphill Battle
The gender gap is measured across various factors that affect the level of gender equality globally. These factors include politics, economy, education and health. The report shows that while progress has been seen in the education and health sectors, there has been a regression in the economic participation gap that is currently tipped against women. The report refers to it as a “post-pandemic crisis” in need of urgent action.
As Zahidi wrote in the introduction of the WEF’s gender gap report, “Recent years have been marked by major setbacks for gender parity globally, with previous progress disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on women and girls in education and the workforce, followed by economic and geopolitical crises. Today, some parts of the world are seeing partial recoveries while others are experiencing deteriorations as new crises unfold.”
Limited Progress
According to the report, only nine countries have managed to close at least 80% of their gender gap. These countries include Iceland, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Nicaragua, Namibia and Lithuania. The United States ranked 43rd on this list, owing to its parity score of 74.8%. Last year the U.S was at 27, with a parity score of 76.9%, a clear sign of a regression in the achievement of gender parity.
As Zahadi notes, “With the myriad challenges the world faces, we need the full power of human creativity and collaboration to find pathways to shared prosperity.”