No. 22 in gender equality
TEXT OF STORY
MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: When it comes to economic and gender equality the U.S. ranks 22nd out of 155 nations. That word from the Geneva-based World Economic Forum. Steve Tripoli has the story.
STEVE TRIPOLI: Here’s the U.S. report card from the study’s co-author Saadia Zahidi:
SAADIA ZAHIDI: It does extremely well in terms of health and education but is held back mainly because of its scores on political empowerment and on economic participation and opportunity.
The specific economic problems are a 37th-place finish in wage inequality and 31st place in overall income. The political problem is a lack of women in high office, good for 66th place.
ZAHIDI: Our report does provide evidence for the fact that the glass ceiling continues to hold back women.
If you’re wondering who’s on top well, it’s nice to be Nordic. The top four slots all went to Scandinavian countries.
But even first-place Sweden has only 81 percent of its gender gap closed.
I’m Steve Tripoli for Marketplace.
There’s a lot happening in the world. Through it all, Marketplace is here for you.
You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible.
Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.
