January 25, 2017
The United States has plummeted to 45th place in an annual ranking of gender equality around the world.
In the wake of the nationwide Women’s March, which protested feminist and minority issues, the World Economic Forum’s gender gap report highlights just how far the country, which placed 28th a year earlier, still has to go.
With the likes of Rwanda way ahead of America on the list, it’s clear the U.S. needs big improvements for women in economics, health, politics and other areas.
As so many glass ceilings remain to be broken, the U.S. could take some notes from these five top performing countries.
READ MORE: Being “Guardians for Each Other” at the LA Women’s March
Iceland has ranked No. 1 on the WEF reports for eight consecutive years. The country has closed more than 87 percent of its overall gender gap and remains one of the top performers in political empowerment and economic participation and opportunity. In Iceland, there is an increasing number of female legislators, senior officials and managers.
Women’s rights have been at the forefront of Iceland’s agenda since 1850. That year, it became the first country int he world to give equal inheritance rights to men and women. Women’s suffrage has also been around for over 100 years. Women also won the right to vote in 1915, five years before the U.S. And when there’s a protest, practically the entire country participates.
@ElaineEdwards5 Iceland Women’s Strike: 1 day strike results: equal rights, 1st female president, #1 rank on Gender Equality Index. pic.twitter.com/C3Xn2AVWhq
— Henrie Keane (@HenrieKeane) January 10, 2017
On Oct. 24, 1975, an estimated 90 percent of women took part in a protest for economic equality. Professional women didn’t go to work and housewives left their homes. Since the men could barely cope with the responsibilities of child rearing and working, parliament passed a law guaranteeing equal pay a year later.
Finland’s second place ranking is due to the country’s success in closing more than 85 percent of its overall gender gap. Although it has some work to do to close its overall income gender gap, Finland has fully closed the gap in health and survival. The country is also top ranking in political empowerment.
In 1906, Finland became the first country in the world to grant women unrestricted voting rights and the right to run for parliament. Also, the country’s Act on Equality between Women and Men has been in force since 1987. Its three major goals are to prevent sex discrimination, to promote equality between the two genders and to improve women’s statuses, especially in the professional environment.
READ MORE: Ka-Ching! Women’s Wages Up … But Don’t Get Too Excited
Finland is doing something right. They have a council specifically for gender equality. ? #intwmn
— Emma Land (@EmTheFruitBabe) November 21, 2016
Finland also has a Gender Equality Unit in the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, which prepares the government’s gender equality policies. The Unit’s goal is to make gender equality mainstream and to develop the government’s gender equality policies with other ministries.
Norway dropped to third place because at 84 percent, it closed just one percent less than Finland’s overall gender wage gap. However, the country did move up four spots on the WEF educational attainment subindex.
Norwegian governments have been working to correct the gender imbalance for over two generation. In 1978, the Gender Equality Act sought to increase the representation of women in the public sector. Then, the Anti-Discrimination Act, which was implemented in 2005 then amended in 2007, prevents discrimination against gender, ethnicity and religion. Additionally, after monitoring Norwegian law and administrative practices, the government imposed a 40 percent quota of men and women on the boards of public limited companies.
Outside of the government and workplace, Norwegian culture has more stay at home fathers. But regardless of gender, the country’s welfare system ensures childcare and parental leave. Fathers are allowed 10 weeks in order to strengthen the bond with their children and to signal the need to participate in childcare. This system also seems to be working because 68 percent of fathers take the full quota or more. Women, on the other hand, have 49 weeks of leave with full pay.
READ MORE: 5 Times Gretchen Carlson Refused to Be Silenced on Gender Inequality
Continuing the success of Scandinavian nations on the WEF list, Sweden has been the No. 4 country for eight years now and in 2016, the country closed more than 81 percent of its overall gender gap. It remains in one of the top positions for economic participation and opportunity because of the continuously rising number of female legislators, senior officials and managers.
“The Swedish government has declared itself a feminist government, devoted to a feminist foreign policy,” says the official website of Sweden. Of the 24 government ministers, half of them are women. The 2009 Swedish Discrimination Act demands that employers actively promote equality between the two genders and that they take proactive measures against harassment.
To end hunger & poverty we also need to look at gender equality says HRH Princess Victoria of #Sweden & #SDGs Ambassador #RuralWomen
— FAOKnowledge (@FAOKnowledge) December 16, 2016
And similar to Norway, Sweden is a very family-friendly country. Expectant mothers get prenatal care through free or subsidized classes that help prepare them for delivery. Swedish parents are also entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave for a newborn or a newly adopted child. For 390 of the 480 days, parents are entitled to receive about 80 percent of their normal pay. Then, the remaining 90 days are paid at a flat rate. And in order to promote gender equality, each parent is entitled to 240 of the 480 days of paid leave, leaving two months reserved exclusively for the parent.
Rwanda has closed about 80 percent of its gender gap, overtaking Ireland for the No. 5 ranking. This is the first time the small African country has ranked in the top five on the WEF list and this is mostly due to its improvements in economic participation and opportunity. Rwanda was the first country to have more than 50 percent of female parliamentarians around the world, and now that number has risen to 64 percent.
The country also has a Ministry for Gender and Family Promotion, a gender monitoring office and gender-based budgeting. And in recent years, Rwandan government has worked to fight gender-based violence in an attempt to decrease domestic violence. And because of the Girls Education Policy and Implementation plan, girls are equally as likely to attend school as boys.
READ MORE: Want to Raise a Strong, Independent Daughter? Don’t Buy Girls’ Building Sets
The five other countries in the top ten are, in descending order, Ireland, Philippines, Slovenia, New Zealand and Nicaragua. All of these countries are high performers in the level of women who participate in their governments, schools, workplaces and overall society.
The United States definitely still has a lot to learn.
