Belarus ranked 28th in the Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum

The World Economic Forum has published a report on gender gap in political, economic, education and healthcare in 149 countries. Belarus scored 28th in the rating having its position improved by two points. 

The Scandinavian countries are the leaders. The smallest gender gap can be found in Iceland: since 2006 the country has shortened the gap by 85%. Norway, Sweden, and Finland are catching up. Besides them, the top-10 of the countries which are the closest to gender equality includes Nicaragua, Rwanda, Namibia, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Ireland. 

The World Economic Forum has been publishing the annual reports on gender balance in the world since 2006. In 2018, the average gender gap in the world reached 32%. The world’s biggest gender gap lies in politics (about 77%). The average rate for the gender gap in economics is 41.9%. Spheres which are close to hitting gender balance are education (4.4%) and healthcare (4.6%).

However, the gender imbalance is still widespread. On average women occupy only 34% of managerial positions, hold 18% of ministerial mandates and 24% of seats in parliaments. And in 44 countries, according to the report, about 20% of women do not have basic literacy skills. By projecting the trends of 2018 into the future the authors of the report suggest that with such a pace of development 106 countries will reach gender balance only in 108 years. 

Reaching gender balance is one of SDGs which the UN Member-states promised to achieve by 2030. Supporting gender equality helps to build a healthier and economically successful society.