IF ONLY I LIVED IN SWEDEN. The World Economic Forum recently released its Global Gender Gap Report for this year. The United States ranked 22 on the list. Although it (barely) ranked above countries like Tanzania, it fell short of South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Croatia.
What really hurt women in the rankings were what the report called "educational attainment" and "political empowerment." Women are becoming the majority of undergraduate students at universities and colleges around the nation, but women still make up only about a quarter of professors nationwide. As for political empowerment, women have long made up the minority in decision-making power structures of government. The representation of women at the highest levels of influence are scarce.
I think this harks back to what Ezra and Dana had to say about the topic of women putting themselves at the forefront of politics. Why women feel restrained in the United States from participating in politics is a topic for futher discussion.
On the upside, women ranked at the top of the list globally for health and survivial.
-- Kay Steiger
