Top ten countries for gender equality

Iceland

Iceland is considered a haven for gender equality for having reduced the gender gap by at least 85%. In this country, women don't find it hard to joint politics in spite of the widening gap in the number of reserved seats at the parliament. Iceland does have a long way to go in this regard, but it stands out regarding economic and professional opportunities for women, not to mention the closing gender pay gap. Overall, Iceland ranks 20th for access to the labour market for women.

Norway

Norway comes up 2nd for the second year in a row for having reduced the gender gap by 83%. It also ranks 3rd in the women empowerment in politics category following a significant improvement in the past few years. Today, more and more women are occupying key positions like legislators, government officials an executives even though the gender pay gap is on the rise. On the other hand, the number of parliamentary seats for women has increased. Norway also stands out for educational attainment, including female literary and women pursuing higher studies.

Sweden

Sweden ranks 3rd for having reduced gender inequality by more than 82%. Like most Nordic countries, Sweden also aims at empowering women in politic by increasing the number of reserved seats in parliament. In recent years, Sweden also made significant progress regarding women's economic participation and access to professional opportunities.

Finland

Since Nordic countries dominate the top five, it's not surprising that Finland ranks 4th thanks to reducing gender inequality by at least 82%. Even though women in Finland are less likely to join politics, they have better access to the labour market. Finland can also boast of a high literacy rate among women and participation in education from primary to tertiary levels.

Nicaragua

What if we told you that one Latin American country makes it in the top ten countries for gender equality? Even though it might look surprising, Nicaragua has managed to reduce gender inequality by more than 80% in recent years. The number of reserved parliamentary seats supports women empowerment in politics in spite of the widening gap regarding economic opportunities. Nicaragua also stands out for health and survival with women having a higher life expectancy than men.

Rwanda

Dropping down two spots, Rwanda is the world's 6th best country for gender equality. Even though the gender pay gap remains significant, the country is granting access to more and more women to economic opportunities. Regarding politics, it's worth noting that 61% of parliamentary seats are reserved for women – which is quite impressive for an African country. Overall, Rwanda managed to reduce gender inequality by more than 80% in the past few years.

New Zealand

Coming 7th is New Zealand who climbs up two spots thanks to significant efforts made by the government to empower women in politics. Today, as a result, there are more women in parliament compared to ten years back, for example. Overall, New Zealand managed to reduce gender inequality by more than 80%. The country also has the highest number of female graduates in the world – which explains how women are joining the labour market and thus contributing to the national economy. Also, New Zealand is number one regarding female literacy.

Philippines

You might be wondering why you haven't heard about Asia so far, but rest assured that the Philippines is leading the way for having reduced gender inequality by nearly 80%. Today, it's easier for women to find a job and thus contribute to the national economy. Over the past few years, the gender pay gap also reduced significantly. It's also worth noting that women in the Philippines are more likely to complete their higher studies.

Ireland

Dropping down one spot, Ireland remains in the global top ten for reducing gender inequality by more than 79%. In spite of a widening gender gap in educational attainment – with fewer girls enrolled at the primary level compared to previous years – there was significant progress regarding the gender pay gap. Today, Ireland is enhancing access for women to professional and economic opportunities. Ireland also ranks 8th for women empowerment in politics.

Namibia

In the bottom ten is Namibia who managed to reduce gender inequality by nearly 79% in recent years. Namibia is the second country in Subsaharan Africa who stands out in terms of women empowerment in politics along with an excellent score regarding health and survival. For instance, Namibia ranks 5th for the number of reserved seats for women in parliament and 12th for economic participation of women.