Philippines on Top 10 list of countries with least gender gap
By Michelle V. Remo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
From the 9th spot in the 2010 survey, the Philippines ranked higher to 8th in 2011, with a score of 0.7685, among 135 countries. It performed favorably in the four categories that determine gender gap: (1) educational attainment, (2) health and survival, (3) economic participation and opportunity, and (4) political empowerment.
The Philippines got the perfect score of 1 in the first two categories.
In the first category, the Philippines shares the top rank with 21 other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Australia, among others.
The Philippines’ favorable performance in the first category comes amid official reports showing that women attending primary, secondary and tertiary education number about the same as, if not more than the men.
The country’s top rank in the second category showed that women in the Philippines have just about the same life expectancy as that of men. Life expectancy is affected by various factors such as disease, malnutrition and violence.
For the second category, the Philippines shares the top rank with 37 other countries, including Finland, Lesotho, Latvia, Bahamas and Argentina.
In the third category of “economic participation and opportunity,” the Philippines ranked 15th with a score of 0.7632. In this category, countries are evaluated based on gaps between men and women in terms of work participation, remuneration and advancement opportunities.
In the fourth category of “political empowerment,” the Philippines ranked 16th with a score of 0.3314. In this category, countries are evaluated based on gap between men and women in terms of women-to-men ratio in government positions.
According to the WEF, the world ranking in terms of gender gap is aimed at increasing the awareness of countries on the importance of closing the gender gap.
“The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them,” the WEF said in the Global Gender Gap Index report.
Global efforts to close the gap between men and women in various aspects, including access to education and employment, are supported by economists who say that promoting gender equality helps achieve developmental objectives of economies.
This is because tapping the skills of women helps increase an economy’s overall productivity.
On the contrary, they say, economies have been missing out on growth opportunities if women were not tapped to contribute their skills and talents.
“The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them,” WEF said in the report.
The Philippines got the perfect score of 1 in the first two categories.
In the first category, the Philippines shares the top rank with 21 other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Australia, among others.
The Philippines’ favorable performance in the first category comes amid official reports showing that women attending primary, secondary and tertiary education number about the same as, if not more than the men.
The country’s top rank in the second category showed that women in the Philippines have just about the same life expectancy as that of men. Life expectancy is affected by various factors such as disease, malnutrition and violence.
For the second category, the Philippines shares the top rank with 37 other countries, including Finland, Lesotho, Latvia, Bahamas and Argentina.
In the third category of “economic participation and opportunity,” the Philippines ranked 15th with a score of 0.7632. In this category, countries are evaluated based on gaps between men and women in terms of work participation, remuneration and advancement opportunities.
In the fourth category of “political empowerment,” the Philippines ranked 16th with a score of 0.3314. In this category, countries are evaluated based on gap between men and women in terms of women-to-men ratio in government positions.
According to the WEF, the world ranking in terms of gender gap is aimed at increasing the awareness of countries on the importance of closing the gender gap.
“The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them,” the WEF said in the Global Gender Gap Index report.
Global efforts to close the gap between men and women in various aspects, including access to education and employment, are supported by economists who say that promoting gender equality helps achieve developmental objectives of economies.
This is because tapping the skills of women helps increase an economy’s overall productivity.
On the contrary, they say, economies have been missing out on growth opportunities if women were not tapped to contribute their skills and talents.
“The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them,” WEF said in the report.
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