The Global Gender Gap Index serves as an annual benchmark, assessing the present status and progress of gender equality in four crucial areas: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. The Global Gender Gap Index is an enduring tool, which has been monitoring the advancement of nations in closing gender gaps and promoting gender parity over the past 17 years, revealing a glacial pace of improvement in closing the gender gap.
Key findings from the 2023 Index include:
- The global gender gap score in 2023 for all 146 countries included in the analysis stands at 68.4% closed. Considering the constant sample of 145 countries covered in both the 2022 and 2023 editions, its a mere improvement of just 0.3 percentage points compared to last year’s edition.
- Examining the different dimensions of the gender gap, the Index highlights the glaring disparities that still exist. In economic participation, the gap is projected to take 169 years to close globally.
- No country has achieved full gender parity; Iceland continues to be the only country to have closed more than 90% of its gender gap (91.2%).
- Eight other countries (Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Nicaragua, Namibia and Lithuania) have closed at least 80% of their gap.
- Women account for 41.9% of the workforce in 2023, yet the share of women in senior leadership positions (Director, Vice-President (VP) or C-Suite) is at 32.2% (according to a LinkedIn sample)
- Women make up almost half (49.3%) of total employment across non-STEM occupations, but just 29.2% of all STEM workers.
- Promisingly, more than two-thirds of the organizations surveyed have implemented a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) programme.
The release of the Global Gender Gap Index serves as a stark reminder that we have a lot of work to do. The lack of significant advancements demands immediate attention. EDGE Certification is an effective instrument for organizations looking to move beyond rhetoric to make tangible commitments to address the root causes of gender inequality.
EDGE Certification is based on objective, measurable evidence of an organization’s current status and progress; with clear standards of performance that create transparency and accountability for change in relation to workplace gender equity. EDGE Certification brings internal and external credibility to an organization’s progress towards gender parity through independently verified certification conducted by a third-party auditor.
EDGE Empower® is a comprehensive, software-based DE&I solution that will guide you through your journey and support you to become eligible for EDGE Certification at the EDGE Assess, EDGE Move or EDGE Lead, with or without EDGEplus.
