Ireland eighth for gender equality

Ireland has retained its eight position in world gender equality rankings, it was announced today.

Iceland and three other Nordic countries lead the world, according to the Gender Gap Index from the World Economic Forum.

The forum, a nonprofit group based in Switzerland, ranked 134 countries according to how much they reduced gender disparities based on economic participation, education, health and political empowerment while attempting to strip out the effects of a country's overall wealth.

Despite its high overall rating, Ireland ranked 84th of the countries surveyed in terms of the number of female representatives in parliament. It comes 50th in the ratings for the number of female ministers. It rates second in the world for number of years with a woman as head of state.

In terms of economic participation Ireland rates just 43rd overall and 69th for labour force participation by women. Ireland tops the global ratings for the number of professional and technical workers, but just 51st in the fields of legislators, senior officials and managers.

The pay gap between the sexes remains marked, with the country rated just 44th of those surveyed.

Iceland rose from fourth place overall a year ago to top the list and was followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden. New Zealand came in fifth, followed by South Africa, Denmark and Ireland. The Philippines and Lesotho made up the rest of the top 10.

The United States fell four spots to 31st, behind Lithuania and ahead of Namibia. Germany was ranked 12th  and the United Kingdom which was 15th. Yemen was ranked lowest at 134, behind Chad and Pakistan.

"Out of the 115 countries covered in the report since 2006, more than two-thirds have posted gains in overall index scores, indicating that the world in general has made progress towards equality," the report’s co-author Ricardo Hausmann said.

The Nordic countries traditionally have been known for generous social benefits, and the high-ranking nations have made it easier to balance work and family life, the report said.

The report is based on data that is between one and three years old. Sources include the International Labour Organisation, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Development Program.

Additional reporting: Reuters