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Global Gender Gap Report 2023: Progress and Challenges
The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023 reveals that gender parity has returned to pre-COVID-19 levels globally. However, the pace of change has slowed due to converging crises, hindering progress. The report shows a 0.3 percentage point improvement in the overall gender gap compared to the previous year. Unfortunately, the expected year of achieving gender parity remains unchanged from the 2022 edition, set at 2154.
Key Findings
- The educational attainment gap has improved, with 117 out of 146 countries closing at least 95% of the gap.
- The economic participation and opportunity gap has closed by 60.1%, while the political empowerment gap has closed by only 22.1%.
- Since the first edition of the report in 2006, gender parity has only advanced by 4.1 percentage points, indicating a significant slowdown in progress.
- It will take 131 years to close the overall gender gap at the current rate of change. Economic parity will take 169 years, and political parity will take 162 years.
Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, emphasizes that despite signs of recovery, women continue to face the brunt of the current cost of living crisis and labor market disruptions. She highlights the importance of women’s economic participation and opportunity for a successful economic rebound.
Global and Regional Highlights
The Global Gender Gap Report identifies Iceland as the most gender-equal country for the 14th consecutive year, having closed more than 90% of its gender gap. Although no country has achieved full gender parity, the top nine ranking countries have closed at least 80% of their gap.
The top 10 countries are:
- Iceland
- Finland
- Norway
- New Zealand
- Sweden
- Denmark
- Ireland
- Spain
- Portugal
- Belgium
Europe has the highest gender parity among all regions, surpassing North America since the previous edition. One-third of European countries rank in the top 20, with over half achieving at least 75% parity. While some countries, such as Estonia, Norway, and Slovenia, have made progress, others like Austria, France, and Bulgaria have experienced declines.
North America ranks second, with a 1.9 percentage point decline in gender parity since the previous edition. The region has the highest gender parity score in economic participation and opportunity but faces challenges in political empowerment.
Latin America and the Caribbean have made incremental progress, registering a 1.7 percentage point increase in overall gender parity. Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Jamaica lead the region in gender parity scores.
Eurasia and Central Asia have the lowest gender parity in political participation but have shown steady improvement in economic participation and opportunity. However, progress has stagnated since the 2020 edition.
In East Asia and Pacific, progress on gender parity has stagnated for over a decade. While some countries have improved their scores, others have experienced declines. New Zealand, the Philippines, and Australia have the highest levels of parity in the region.
Sub-Saharan Africa has made uneven progress, with some countries closing more than 70% of the gender gap while others experience declines. Namibia, Rwanda, and South Africa are among the top performers in the region.
Southern Asia has shown improvement in gender parity, particularly in countries like India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. However, the region still faces challenges in economic participation and opportunity.
The Middle East and North Africa remain the furthest from gender parity, with a 0.9 percentage point decline since the previous edition. The United Arab Emirates, Israel, and Bahrain have achieved the highest parity in the region.
Glass Ceiling and Labor Market Disparities
Although women have entered the labor force at higher rates globally, gaps in the labor market persist. Women continue to face higher unemployment rates compared to men. LinkedIn data shows that women account for 41.9% of the workforce but hold only 32.2% of senior leadership positions. Women’s representation in STEM fields remains low at 29.2%. In artificial intelligence, although talent availability has increased, women’s representation has only risen by 4 percentage points since 2016.
The digital divide also contributes to inequality of opportunity in online learning. Coursera data reveals disparities in enrollment across skill categories, with technology skills having low female enrollment. However, when women do enroll, they tend to attain proficiency levels faster than men.
Closing the Gender Gap
The Global Gender Gap Report 2023 emphasizes the importance of increasing women’s economic participation and achieving gender parity in leadership roles as key drivers for addressing gender gaps. Collective action by both the private and public sectors is crucial for accelerating progress and fostering inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
The Gender Parity Accelerators, adopted in 14 economies, bring together government and business to advance economic parity. These accelerators focus on increasing women’s workforce participation, closing the gender pay gap, and promoting women’s advancement into leadership roles. The DEI Lighthouse Programme identifies effective diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and shares key lessons learned with global leaders.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
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SDG 5: Gender Equality
- Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
- Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure, and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family
- Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life
The article discusses the gender gap in various areas, including economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. These issues are directly related to SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
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SDG 4: Quality Education
- Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations
The article mentions the improvement in closing the educational attainment gap, with many countries having closed at least 95% of the gap. This is relevant to SDG 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education for all.
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SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
- Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
The article highlights the challenges women face in the labor market, including higher unemployment rates and underrepresentation in senior leadership positions. These issues are relevant to SDG 8, which aims to promote sustained, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all.
Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere | – |
| SDG 5: Gender Equality | Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure, and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family | – |
| Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life | – | |
| SDG 4: Quality Education | Target 4.5: Eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and children in vulnerable situations | – |
| SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth | Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value | – |
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Source: moderndiplomacy.eu
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