The World Economic Forum has published the Global Gender Gap Report 2021 and Norway secured the No. 3 spot. Based on the report, women will have to wait another generation for gender parity as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues.
Top 10 - world’s best countries for gender equality
- Iceland (12th year in a row)
- Finland
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Sweden
- Namibia
- Rwanda
- Lithuania
- Ireland
- Switzerland
Measuring the gap each year helps to highlight countries that are in need for improvement and to celebrate those that are progressing. Having these measurements also keeps track of the progression towards the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, specifically with Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality, which calls for achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls. Overall, the report states evidence to assume the progress has stagnated, with widening gender gaps in political empowerment globally. The report also estimates that at the current rate, it will take more than 136 years for women to be on an equal footing to men around the world.
The Forum says,
"Quantifying the gap on a regular basis matters because improving gender parity has a fundamental bearing on how much economies and societies thrive. Fostering and developing female talent has the potential to accelerate the growth, competitiveness and future-readiness of economies and businesses worldwide."
While Norway is considered to be one of the most gender-equal countries in the world, according to Mari Teigen, Director of Centre for Research on Gender Equality (CORE) there are still systemic differences that affect the opportunities available to men and women in society. Here, CORE Director Mari Teigen provides five important facts about gender equality in Norway today:
5 Facts about gender equality in Norway
Source:These are the top 10 countries for women’s rights and opportunities