Gender equality is a critical component of economic growth of a country. As the world is moving towards legal gender equality, it’s moving very, very slowly. According to World Bank’s “Women, Business and the Law 2019” report, only six countries have equal rights for men and women in the world.
The highest six countries in gender equality
The countries are Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden scored full marks of 100. Saudi Arabia’s overall score of 25.63 was the worst in the world, while Sudan, the UAE, Syria, Qatar, and Iran all scored below 35. The average global score is 74.71, but the average score in the middle east and north Africa is 47.37.
The report is a Decade of Reform examines ten years of data through an index structured around the economic decisions women make as they go through their working lives. It employs eight indicators that are structured around women’s interactions with the law as they begin, progresses through and ends their careers. The eight indicators are Going Places, Starting a Job, Getting Paid, Getting Married, Having Children, Running a Business, Managing Assets and Getting a Pension.
The United States scored 83.75, placing it outside the global top 50. The United Kingdom achieved a score of 97.5, Germany measured at 91.88, and Australia scored 96.88.
“If women have equal opportunities to reach their full potential, the world would not only be fairer, it would be more prosperous as well,” World Bank Group Interim President Kristalina Georgieva said.
“Change is happening, but not fast enough, and 2.7 billion women are still legally barred from having the same choice of jobs as men,” she added.
The study is the latest to stress the economic benefits of guaranteeing legal gender equality.
ASEAN countries
In ASEAN, Laos PDR ranks the top in gender equality with marks of 88.13. Singapore is second with 82.5 marks. Vietnam stands at a third with marks of 81.88 while Philipines ranks fourth with marks of 81.25. Timor-Leste holds the fifth scored marks of 80. Cambodia and Thailand are the same marks of 75. Indonesia, having marks of 64.38 is higher gender equality than Myanmar, having marks of 56.25. Brunei Darussalam is the second lowest gender equality with marks of 53.13 in the region. Malaysia is the lowest gender equality scored 50 marks in the region.
The report highlighted more positive trends in South Asia, East Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, the three most-improved regions compared to 10 years ago.
Ref:CNN