Building a bridge over the gender divide

This blog post is based on data from the Global Gender Gap Report 2011. You can now also read the Global Gender Gap Report 2012.

In Chinese, a “divide” was originally a canal, which was later used as the boundary between Chu and Han confrontation, and then used as a metaphor to refer to the ineliminable and insurmountable difference and gap. We do not want the gender gap to become a manmade yet unbridgeable gender divide.

What is the gender gap? It means that countless individuals experience and suffer from unequal opportunities and treatment due to their gender. The consequences, in particular, mean that women experience and suffer from such inequalities, namely, economic, social, political and cultural inequalities.

It also affects men unfavourably. Just think about it: if mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, daughters-in-law or friends experience inequality throughout their lives, how could men’s lives not be affected? Even if they are privileged because they are men, it adversely affects society.

Pamela Cox, The World Bank’s East Asia Pacific Vice-President, said in a report published in June 2012: “Eliminating inequality of opportunity in economic participation could increase worker productivity in the region by 7 to 18 per cent. This has large implications for economic growth and poverty reduction. So, women’s economic empowerment is not only the right thing to do; it’s the smart thing to do.”

The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report has monitored changes in global and national gender gaps over the past six years. The table below shows encouraging data, namely, that the gender gap in 85% of countries in the world has narrowed from 2006 to 2011.

Yet, this table also highlights a worrying issue: the number of countries with a narrowing gender gap has decreased, while the number of those with worsening gender gaps has increased every year and reached 45% in 2010-2011.

The Global Gender Gap Report can serve as a wake-up call. I hope it will alert leaders from each country and industry. For example, when they think about how to respond to the crisis in the Eurozone and design urgent, comprehensive and macro programmes and policies for national economic recovery and increase of employment, they can intentionally narrow the gender gap, which may be one of the most effective and favourable initiatives.

So now we need to curb the deterioration of the gender gap in income and change this unacceptable situation. At the same time, we need to effectively narrow the gender gap in aspects of voice/political participation to achieve the threshold of one-third of women participating in legislation and decision-making that other countries already achieved by 2000.

The Global Gender Gap Report and similar publications represent the painstaking work of researchers in tracking and analysing the gender gap. The report should be used by more institutions and personnel to initiate initiatives and policies and bring about meaningful change and innovation.

Image: A laboratory technician carries out a testing analysis process at a food safety monitoring centre in Beijing. REUTERS/Jason Lee

Author: Feng Yuan is a member of Against Domestic Violence Network