Payvand.ocm/2010-10-24 - We are at a unique turning point in history. Never before has there been such momentum around the issue of gender parity on the global stage. Numerous multinational companies have aligned core elements of their businesses and products to support and provide opportunities for women in the communities in which they are active.

The United Nations has created a new entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women. There is a strong movement around greater investment in girls’ education in the developing world. Businesses around the world are starting to take into account the increasing power of women consumers.

As women begin to make up more than half of all university graduates in much of the developed world, there is an increased consciousness that this talent must be given the opportunity to lead. Several countries have introduced legislation that mandates minimum requirements for women’s participation, in both business and politics.

The Global Gender Gap Index  introduced by the World  Economic Forum in 2006, is a framework for capturing the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities and
tracking their progress.

The four pillars

The Global Gender Gap Index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival and political empowerment.

Economic participation and opportunity
This area is captured through three concepts: the participation gap, the remuneration gap and the advancement gap.

Educational attainment
In this category, the gap between women’s and men’s current access to education is captured through ratios of women to men in primary-, secondary- and tertiary-level
education.

Health and survival
This category attempts to provide an overview of the differences between women’s and men’s health.

Political empowerment
This category includes mainly measures of the gap between men and women in political decision-making at the highest levels.

Over 93% of the global gender gap on education has been closed.
Over 96% of the global gender gap on health has been closed.

Only 60% of the global gender gap on economy participation has been closed.
Only 16% of the global gender gap on political empowerment has been closed.