Analysis of Gender Inequality Index of 2015: The gap between best and worst is still enormous

Gender inequality remains a major barrier to human development. Girls and women have made major strides since 1990, but they have not yet gained gender equity.

According to the Gender Inequality Index of 2015, twenty countries were chosen as sample to analyze the gap between best gender equality and worst gender equality. The top ten countries which enjoy best gender equality are Switzerland, Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, Slovenia, Finland, Germany, Korea, and the last ten countries which enjoy the worst gender equality are Liberia, Sierra, Tonga, Congo, Afghanistan, Cote dlvoire, Mali, Chad, Niger and Yemen.

In general, female in Europe were treated more equally than female in Africa and Asia. Korea is the only Asian country that enters the top ten, and other nine countries are all European countries. In the last ten countries, besides Yemen, Afghanistan from Asia and Tonga from Oceania, other seven countries are all locates in Africa.

In the top ten countries, the rate of accepting at least secondary education of both gender are over 85%, and the gap is very samll. But in the seven African countries, the rate of male accepting at least secondary education is very low, and the rate of female accepting at least secondary education is much lower. Relevantly, smaller proportion of female shares seats in parliament in those African countries. But Tonga is different from others. 91.25% of female ages 25and older in Tonga have accepted at least secondary education, but none of the female can share seat in the parliament. Their political rights are deprived severely. As to the labor participation, the proportions of male in the last ten countries are adjacent to that in the top ten countries, but the proportions of female are in a huge gap.

What’s worse, in the last ten countries, the terrible reproductive health of female has horrible effect on their lives. In the top ten countries, barely female gives birth to baby in their teens and lose their lives due to delivery. But in the last ten countries, at least 70 women die from giving birth to baby in their teens and at least 50 women die when 100000 babies were born.

In a word, the gap between countries with best gender equality and countries with worst countries is still enormous. Many girls and women are living terrible lives that their political rights, education rights, work rights and even reproductive rights are threatened badly. If people want to promote the human development in the whole world, gender inequality must be improved, especially in the African countries.