Norway tops gender equality ranking

Norway tops a ranking of countries doing the most to close the gender gap, followed by three other Nordic nations, in a survey made by the World Economic Forum.

Norway rose from third to first place and scored 82.45% in the table of 130 countries, denoting the percentage of the gap between women and men that has been closed to date.

Finland, Sweden and Iceland came second, third and fourth respectively.

Last year, Sweden placed at the top of the index.

Progress in closing the gap is not only "possible" but can be achieved in a relatively short space of time the survey report says.

Norway's Minister of Equality, Anniken Huitfeldt is pleased: - This is the result of political choice, and choices which have not always been supported by a broad majority. Because equality is not always conditioned by cultural background, she says.

The index considered economic participation, educational attainment, political empowerment and health and survival.

- Our work shows a strong correlation between competitiveness and the gender gap scores, the report states.

- While this does not imply causality, the possible theoretical underpinnings of this link are clear: countries that do not fully capitalize effectively on one-half of their human resources run the risk of undermining their competitive potential, it says.

The survey stems from a collaboration of individuals of Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley and the World Economic Forum.

Gender equality is now becoming an export article, and the Norwegian Minister of Equality is now on her way to France, where she will meet EU'sministers of equality to tell of the Norwegian experience.

-They are in particular interested to know how we are able to maintain a high birth rate, combined with high working life participation, Huitfeldt says.

http://www.norwaypost.no/content/view/21236/32/