Latest news with #2025GlobalGenderGapReport
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Why is India in the bottom 20 when it comes to gender gap?
India has once again slipped in the global race for gender equality. In the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum, India ranks 131st out of 148 countries, a fall from last year's 129th spot. The drop comes despite a marginal improvement in India's overall gender parity score, a clear signal that other countries are moving much more worrying is that even within South Asia, India trails behind its neighbours: Bangladesh (rank 24), Bhutan (rank 119), Nepal (rank 125), and Sri Lanka (rank 130). With 64.4 per cent of its gender gap closed, India falls below the global average of 68.8 per cent and the South Asia regional average of 64.6 per cent. First introduced in 2006, the WEF gender gap index tracks gender gaps across four dimensions: economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. India's performance is mixed, with education and health improving but political and economic indicators dragging down the 2025 index shows that no economy has yet achieved full gender parity. Iceland, with a score of 92.6 per cent, has held the top position for 16 consecutive years now, and remains the only economy to have closed more than 90 per cent of its gender gap since gains, economic stagnationadvertisementThere's been real progress in education. India has achieved 97.1 parity in educational attainment and ranks 110th in that category. Girls are going to school and enrolling in colleges at nearly the same rate as boys. In fact, women now make up a majority of graduates in several urban universities. Despite that, the achievement does not translate into jobs or promotions. The boardrooms remain out of reach. Health outcomes have slightly improved, with a better sex ratio at birth and increased life expectancy for women. However, India still ranks low at 143rd on this being the world's fastest-growing major economy, India remains one of the worst performers globally on gender parity in economic participation and opportunity, ranking 144th, ahead of a handful of crisis-ridden nations like Sudan, Pakistan, Women in the Workplace 2025 report found that only one in three hires at the junior level in Indian companies was a woman. As they moved up the ladder, the number of women dropped sharply. The report noted that just 18.2 per cent of board positions in corporate India were held by a growing gap between what women are qualified to do and what they're allowed to do. The WEF report backs this up. India's score on economic participation improved slightly, from 39.8 per cent in 2024 to 40.7 per cent in 2025, thanks to a rise in women's estimated earned income. But even now, Indian women earn about one-third less than men for the same work. And female workforce participation remains dismally women in poweradvertisementEven more worrying is the drop in political representation score, and it is the only subindex to do so this year. The number of women in Parliament fell from 14.7 to 13.8 per cent, and the share of women ministers dropped to 5.6 per cent, down from 6.5 per cent last year. These numbers take India further from its 30 per cent peak in 2019. In short, fewer women are in power today than a year ago.- Ends
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Why do women occupy only 28.1% of senior leadership roles globally?
Why do women occupy only 28.1% of senior leadership roles globally? They're graduating in greater numbers, outperforming in classrooms, and steadily joining the workforce across every major sector. But when it comes to leadership—the corner office, the boardroom, the real seat at the table—women are still not getting through the door. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 by the World Economic Forum (WEF), women hold just 28.1% of senior leadership positions worldwide. Despite significant progress in education and workforce participation, this number reveals a sobering reality: women are climbing the ladder, but still not leading. This gap is not merely symbolic—it has real economic consequences. Leadership shapes culture, policy, and profit, and without women at the helm, organizations miss out on the diversity of thought and decision-making proven to drive innovation and performance. The problem isn't a lack of qualified women—it's that too few are being given the chance to lead. The slow ascent to the top From 2015 to 2024, the share of women in top management globally rose only modestly—from 25.7% to 28.1%—and that momentum has slowed even further in the past two years. While select industries and regions have made progress, the overall pace remains disappointingly slow. This stagnation isn't due to a lack of talent or ambition. In fact, women are achieving academically at historic levels. The 2025 Global Gender Gap Report notes that the educational gender gap is now 95.1% closed, with women surpassing men in tertiary education across many countries. Yet these academic gains are not translating into equal representation in leadership. The report also mentions that only 29.5% of senior managers with tertiary education are women, revealing a troubling disconnect: even when equally or more qualified, women are still less likely to rise to top roles. Education is no longer the barrier—access to opportunity is. The leaky pipeline This disconnect between education and elevation in leadership is often described as the 'leaky pipeline'—a system in which women enter at junior levels but gradually drop off due to lack of opportunity, support, or advancement. One factor is the uneven distribution of caregiving. The WEF report shows women are 55.2% more likely than men to take career breaks, and those breaks tend to be longer—19.6 months for women versus 13.9 months for men. Most of these breaks are tied to parenting and unpaid care work, a burden still overwhelmingly borne by women across cultures and economies. Without structural support—such as accessible childcare, flexible work, and paid parental leave—these career breaks often come at the cost of momentum, visibility, and promotion. Stuck in people-centric professions Another reason for the leadership gap is gender-based industry segregation. Women continue to be concentrated in lower-paying, 'people-centric' sectors such as healthcare (58.5%) and education (52.9%). Meanwhile, industries traditionally associated with leadership pipelines—like finance, technology, and infrastructure—remain male-dominated, although there are signs of change. Notably, women's representation in infrastructure jobs grew by 8.9 percentage points, according to the WEF report. But these gains are the exception, not the rule. Education is no longer the issue Women have done their part. They've gone to school, earned their degrees, and joined the workforce. The problem no longer lies in qualification, but in translation—from classroom to career, and from entry-level to executive. The global workforce participation rate for women is now 41.2%, a number that still lags significantly behind men. And of the women who do enter the workforce, far too few are given the mentorship, sponsorship, or opportunity needed to move up. This isn't just a gender issue—it's an economic one. A more inclusive leadership landscape brings diverse perspectives, better decision-making, and stronger performance. Companies and countries alike are missing out on talent, innovation, and resilience by failing to elevate women into senior roles. A call for systemic change If progress continues at the current rate, the report estimates it will take 123 years to close the global gender gap entirely. That means not just today's generation of working women—but likely their daughters and granddaughters—will still be fighting for seats at the table. To close this gap faster, experts point to several urgent interventions: Transparent promotion pathways Equal access to leadership training and mentorship Workplace policies that support caregiving and flexible careers Gender-balanced hiring and succession planning Because women aren't asking for shortcuts—they're asking for systems that recognize their readiness and reward their contribution. The world has made undeniable progress in education. But until leadership reflects that progress, the ladder remains broken. Women are climbing—but the top is still far too crowded with the same familiar faces. It's time to build a workforce where qualification leads to opportunity, and ambition is met with access. Not 123 years from now. But now. Is your child ready for the careers of tomorrow? Enroll now and take advantage of our early bird offer! Spaces are limited.
Morocco World
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Morocco Struggles at 137th Place in 2025 Gender Equality Rankings
Rabat – Morocco holds the 137th spot out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report. Last year, Morocco also presented a poor performance, ranking among the bottom 10 in the report. The report, published annually since 2006, measures gender equality across four metrics: economic participation and opportunity, education access, political empowerment, and health. These categories show the extent to which women benefit from equal access to jobs, education, political representation, and healthcare compared to men. Morocco's very low rankings expose a grim reality for women, with little to no sign of improvement. Ranked 143rd in economic participation, women face significant barriers to decent jobs and career progression. Education, at 114th, is slightly better, but the improvement is weak and far from enough to close the gender gap. Political representation at 91st remains low, limiting women's capacity to have a say in matters that determine their lives. Most troubling is the 136the position in health and survival, pointing to persisting issues with access to care and life expectancy. These numbers show the sobering fact that gender equality in Morocco remains elusive. Morocco ranks second in the Maghreb list after Tunisia, which is 123rd in the world. Algeria is 141st, while Mauritania and Libya did not figure in this year's report. In the broader Arab world, Morocco sits at 10th place. Countries like the UAE (69th), Bahrain (104th), and Jordan (122nd) rank higher, while Lebanon (136th) and Oman (134rd) fall behind. On the African continent, Morocco occupies the 27th position. Namibia leads African countries with a strong 8th place worldwide, followed by Cape Verde (30th) and South Africa (33rd). Globally, Iceland continues to top and set the standard for gender equality, followed by Finland and Norway. The UK climbs to 4th place, with New Zealand and Sweden also among the top performers. At the opposite end of the spectrum, countries such as Iran (145th), Chad (146th), Sudan (147th), and Pakistan (148th) show the greatest gender gaps; rankings that Morocco is relatively close to. Central Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, as well as Sub-Sahara show moderate progress, approaching the 70% threshold toward equality. South Asia and the MENA region lag behind, closing only about two thirds of the gap. Morocco still faces a very long, difficult road to close the gender gap. Legal reforms must go beyond surface changes to truly protect and empower women. Tags: Gender Gapgender gap indexMoroccowomen rights
Tokyo Weekender
13-06-2025
- Business
- Tokyo Weekender
Japan Ranks 118th Again in Latest Global Gender Gap Report
In this week's news roundup we report on the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report and the State of the World Population report. Nintendo announces that it has sold a record 3.5 million Switch 2 units in the first four days. A foreign owner of a Tokyo apartment building reverses his decision to raise the rent from ¥72,500 to ¥190,000 . Prominent voice actress Megumi Hayashibara sparks an online debate with her blog post. And Japan finish their World Cup qualifying campaign in style with a 6-0 hammering of Indonesia. List of Contents: Global Gender Gap Report 2025: Japan Remains at 118th Despite Some Progress UN Report Says Financial Barriers, Not Choice, Driving Global Fertility Crisis Switch 2 Smashes Nintendo's Record, Selling 3.5 Million Units in Four Days Outrage After Foreign Landlord Nearly Triples Tokyo Apartment Rent Evangelion Voice Actress Megumi Hayashibara Deletes 'Invasive Species' Comment on Blog Japan Hammer Indonesia 6-0 in Final World Cup Qualifier Related Posts Global Gender Gap Report 2025: Japan Remains at 118th Despite Some Progress The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its 2025 Global Gender Gap Report on Thursday. Japan ranked 118th among 148 countries, the same position as last year. It remains the lowest of the G7 nations. However, it finished with an overall gender parity score of 66.6%, showing a slight improvement on 2024's total of 66.3%. The Swiss-based think tank notes that Japan has increased parity in almost every subindex compared with last year. Most progress came in Economic Participation and Opportunity, where it scored 61.3%, up 4.5% from 12 months ago. According to the WEF, this shift has been 'boosted by increased rates of women participating in the labour force (from 54.8% to 55.6%), higher representation of women in the senior officials, managers and legislators category (from 14.6% to 16.1%), as well as increased parity in estimated earned income (59.2%, up from 58.3%).' The Political Empowerment category, however, showed a regression, with the score dropping from 11.8% to 8.5%. Ministerial representation has fallen from 25% to 10%. Topping the 2025 Global Gender Gap Report was Iceland with a score of 92.6%. It has led the way for 16 consecutive years. UN Report Says Financial Barriers, Not Choice, Driving Global Fertility Crisis The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) presented its State of the World Population report on Tuesday. A total of 14,000 people from 14 countries were surveyed about their fertility intentions. Asked how many children they would like, most replied that they wanted two. However, one in five said they haven't had or won't be able to have their desired number of children. Just under 40% of respondents reported that financial barriers— such as the cost of raising children and expensive housing — had affected or would affect their ability to realize their desired family size. 'The world has begun an unprecedented decline in fertility rates,' said Doctor Natalia Kanem, the head of the UNFPA. She added, 'Fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to create the families they want. And that is the real crisis.' Last week, the Japanese health ministry released data on the number of births — excluding foreign nationals — in Japan for 2024. With just 686,061 born, it was the first time in recorded history that the figure fell below the 700,000 mark. It was also the ninth consecutive year of decline. Switch 2 Smashes Nintendo's Record, Selling 3.5 Million Units in Four Days Nintendo announced on Wednesday that it had sold a record 3.5 million Switch 2 units worldwide in the first four days after the launch of the console. It was released on June 5. The astonishing figure surpasses the first month's sales of the original Switch (2.7 million units) and Sony's PlayStation 5 (3.4 million units). In May, Nintendo said that Switch 2 sales would reach 15 million during the current financial year which ends on March 31, 2026. Analysts, however, consider that to be a modest target set by the company. Serkan Toto, founder of gaming industry consultancy Kantan Games, believes it will sell over 20 million units in the first year. He told CNBC , 'All signals prior to launch pointed to significant demand, and I believe we will see further records broken over the next weeks or months.' The coveted console is similar in design to its predecessor, though it has a bigger screen and larger controllers. In Japan, around 2.2 million people applied to the lottery system to buy it. Even before it went on sale, Nintendo started shipping Switch 2 branded 'Out of Stock' signs to retailers. Outrage After Foreign Landlord Nearly Triples Tokyo Apartment Rent The foreign owner of a seven-story apartment building in Tokyo's Itabashi ward this week reversed his decision to raise the rent from ¥72,500 to ¥190,000. The reason given for the approximately 2.5-times increase was rising costs. However, it has been suggested that the real reason was to force the residents out, so the vacated apartments could be used as short-term rentals for travelers. When ANN News contacted the owner, who is in China, he stated that he would withdraw the rent hike. He added that the elevator, which broke down in May, will be reopened soon. Residents received a note about the substantial price increase in January. This led to several of them moving out. Those who remain still feel uneasy about the situation. Unknown people with suitcases have been seen entering the building. According to a website that provides information on private accommodations for tourists, a room in the condominium was being rented for ¥25,000 per night. When ANN News checked with Itabashi ward officials, it was confirmed that the notification required to be a private accommodation operator had not been submitted. The apartments will no longer be available as short-term rentals for travelers. Evangelion Voice Actress Megumi Hayashibara Deletes 'Invasive Species' Comment on Blog Prominent Japanese voice actress Megumi Hayashibara sparked an online debate earlier this week following her blog post on Sunday. The 58-year-old Tokyo native, who's most well known for her role as Rei Ayanami in Neon Genesis Evangelion , shared her concerns about Japan's cultural identity and political apathy. The blog, titled 'Indifference, Ignorance, and Not Knowing,' quickly went viral. The comments that drew the most attention regarded international students receiving subsidies and foreign tourists behaving badly. Referring to the latter, she used a metaphor of a Japanese crayfish being overwhelmed by an 'invasive species.' 'If we don't have regulations that are properly enforced, it could become dangerous,' she wrote. 'It will be like how Japanese crayfish were instantly devoured by invasive species. For instance, the Japanese rule of lining up to buy things could end up disappearing.' On Wednesday, Hayashibara deleted the line about the crayfish. 'Part of the way I expressed myself was deemed too extreme, so I removed it,' she wrote. 'I used it to illustrate the kind of person mentioned above, but it has hurt people who are not involved. I will learn. Thank you for letting me know.' Takefusa Kubo | Image by Saolab Press Japan Hammer Indonesia 6-0 in Final World Cup Qualifier Japan finished their World Cup qualifying campaign in style on Tuesday with a comprehensive 6-0 victory over Patrick Kluivert's Indonesia. With top place in the group already assured, Hajime Moriyasu's side demonstrated an impressive display of attacking football. They led 3-0 at the break thanks to a brace from Daichi Kamada and one from captain Takefusa Kubo. Ryoya Morishita, Shuto Machino and substitute Mao Hosoya added three more in the second half. Moriyasu praised his players, but urged them to keep pushing themselves. 'The challenge for the players is to break past their limits and grow,' he said . In boxing, Junto Nakatani became a unified bantamweight champion with a sixth-round technical knockout win over Ryosuke Nishida on Sunday. The two boxers, who went into the fight undefeated, engaged in a slugfest from the outset. Nakatani, though, started to take control in the fifth round, when Nishida's right eye began to swell. By the end of the sixth, he was unable to see incoming punches, so the ringside doctor decided to pull him out. Watching ringside was Naoya Inoue . Nakatani versus Inoue, expected to take place next year, will be the biggest fight in the history of Japan. Related Posts Japan Births Fall Below 700,000 for the First Time Japan Attempts To Ban Outlandish Kirakira Baby Names Number of Foreign Visitors to Japan Hits Yet Another Record High
