Iceland, Nordics top world gender equality list
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A file photo shows gender differences in education in Africa.Iceland and three other Nordic countries lead the world in gender equality, according to a report.
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Iceland and three other Nordic countries lead the world in gender equality, according to a report released on Tuesday. The United States, which prides itself on civil rights progress during the past half century, fell four spots from last year to stand at 31st place behind Lithuania and ahead of Namibia, according to the World Economic Forum, a nonprofit group based in Switzerland. The report ranked 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 nation's overall wealth. Iceland, which has been rocked by financial crisis, 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. Commenting on the low US position, Melanne Verveer, US ambassador-at-large for global women's issues, said at the launch of the report in New York: "In many ways we've been a model ... but we also have a ways to travel." "Obviously I think every country wants to do better. It's worth pointing out that no country has equality between men and women so we have a long road to go no matter where we live." Pulling down the United States was its poor performance in political empowerment, where it ranked a lowly 61. The Nordic countries excelled in this area, with Iceland again taking top honors. 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 toward equality," co-author Ricardo Hausmann said in a statement. 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. "When we look at the economic participation variables, it's clear that this country (Iceland) has managed to remove the barriers to women participating in the workplace," said Saadia Zahidi, the report's co-author. The report is based on data that is between one and three years old, Zahidi said. Sources included the International Labor Organization, the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Program. (Read by Chantal Anderson. Chantal Anderson is a multimedia journalist at the China Daily Web site.) |
本周二发布的一项报告显示，冰岛和其它三个北欧国家的性别平等程度居全球之首。 据世界经济论坛发布的报告称，以在过去半个世纪民权进步为自豪的美国今年下滑四个榜位，名列第31位，立陶宛和纳米比亚分列之前和之后。世界经济论坛总部位于瑞士，是一个非赢利组织。 该报告根据各国在经济参与、教育、健康和参与政治等方面所做出的消除性别差异的努力编撰而成。同时，调查还排除了国家整体实力的影响。 受经济危机重创的冰岛从去年的第四位升至榜首。芬兰、挪威、瑞典位居其后，新西兰名列第五。 该报告于当天在纽约发布，美国全球妇女问题特使梅兰妮•韦维尔在发布会上就美国此次排名靠后发表了看法。她说：“我们在很多领域都做出了表率，但仍然还有很长的路需要走。” “很明显，各国都想做得更好。需要指出的是，没有哪个国家实现了男女平等，因此不管我们身在何处，都有很长的路要走。” 美国在女性参政方面表现不佳，仅列第61位，拉低了总排名。 而北欧各国在该领域表现出众，冰岛在该项名列榜首。 也门排名最低，名列第134位，乍得和巴基斯坦分列最后第二和第三位。 报告的撰写人之一里卡多•豪斯曼在一份声明中称：“在2006年该报告所覆盖的115个国家中，超过三分之二的国家在总体得分上有所提高。这表明总的来说，全世界在性别平等方面取得了进步。” 该报告称，北欧国家向来以优厚的社会福利著称，排名较高的国家的居民能够更好地平衡工作和家庭生活。 报告的另外一位撰写人萨迪亚•扎西迪说：“从经济参与的变量可以明显地看出，该国（冰岛）已经成功消除了女性在工作参与方面的障碍。” 扎西迪称，该报告主要基于过去一到三年的数据。数据资料来源于国际劳工组织、世界卫生组织和联合国开发计划署。 |