It will take 257 years for the economic gender gap to close at the current rate of progress, according to the Global Gender Gap Report 2020.
Written by Natalia Oelsner, Euronews
The report finds that, despite the gap having closed in recent years, progress is slowing – last year it was estimated that it would be 202 years until full parity was achieved, and now this year over 50 extra years have been added.
The World Economic Forum has been measuring the gender gap in the Global Gender Gap Report since 2006. In addition to economic issues, the report also considers politics, education and health. The figures are more encouraging in the latter two, in which 96.1 per cent and 95.7 per cent parity have been achieved, respectively.
Globally, 45 per cent of working-age women are not in the labour market, compared to 22 per cent of men. Those women who do work receive 60 per cent of what men earn, for the same work. There are still 72 countries in which women are barred from opening bank accounts or obtaining credit.