Malta has slipped 15 places in its global ranking on gender equality – the worst position the country has had in the past five years, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report.
Malta ranked 99 out of 142 nations, surpassed by countries such as Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kyrgyz Republic and Kazakhstan.
The annual report looks at economic participation and opportunities for women, educational attainment, political empowerment and health.
More countries were included in the assessment this time compared with previous years. The inclusion of Rwanda, Belarus, Zimbabwe, Montenegro and Swaziland pushed Malta’s ranking down as they all performed better.
In areas such as health and survival, where Malta usually performs relatively well, the report this year shows that women living in Syria, Mexico, Suriname and Swaziland have a better healthy life expectancy – Malta ranked 107 out of the 142 countries.
It is our hope that this latest edition of the report will serve as a call to action
Malta did well on educational attainment where it achieved a score of one together with another 25 countries that include Botswana and Namibia. The country also did well on its literacy rate, taking fifth position.
Yet it was listed as one of the worst performers in the world on female participation in the labour market with a ranking of 114. Moreover, Malta is the second-lowest performing country from the region, ahead only of Turkey, on the estimated earned income indicator.
A female President has not helped Malta’s ranking on political empowerment, where Malta ranked 76. In terms of the number of women in Parliament, Malta ranked 99th, surpassed by countries such as Tajikistan, Chad, Pakistan and Algeria.
Of the 142 countries measured, not one country has closed its overall gender gap. Iceland tops the ranking of the world’s nations with the smallest gender gap for the sixth year in a row. Nordic nations take up the first five positions on the index. Yemen was the least equal country, ahead of Pakistan, Chad and Syria.
Gender equality in workplaces across the globe is unlikely to be realised until 2095, according to the report. The global gender gap for economic participation and opportunity now stands at 60 per cent worldwide.
“People and their talents are two of the core drivers of sustainable, long-term economic growth.
“If half of these talents are underdeveloped or underutilised, the economy will never grow as it could,” the report states.
It found that overall gains for certain countries were offset by reversals in a small number of countries.
“It is our hope that this latest edition of the report will serve as a call to action to spur change on an issue that is central to our future.
“Ultimately, it is through each individual adapting his or her beliefs and actions that change can occur,” the report states.