Belize way behind in the region on closing gender gap
Posted: 17/11/2009 - 10:05 AM
Author: Adele Ramos - adelescribe@gmail.com
Belize has been listed 88th on the global scale on the World Economic Forum’s (WEC) global gender gap index, on which 137 countries appear. Belize ranked a low 23rd of the 25 countries assessed in Latin America and the Caribbean, ahead of only Guatemala and Mexico.
The detailed rankings to show the gender gap between men and women indicate that Belize did the best in the world on the health and survival index, ranking 1st but tied with several countries such as Venezuela, Slovakia, and Guyana because of the sex ratio at birth (0.94) and the healthy life expectancy – 62 for females and 58 for men. Though the life expectancies are low, there is not much of a gap between men and women.
(World Bank (World Development Indicators) figures say Belize’s life expectancy rate was 72.7 in 2007.)
Meanwhile, Belize did its worst on political empowerment, ranking #121. It ranked 35th in education attainment and 80th in economic opportunity and empowerment.
While Belize ranked 88th on the 2009 global gender gap index, it placed 94th on the index in 2007, and 86th in 2008.
The WEC report said, “Belize also posts gains in labour force participation rates (110th to 103rd).”
The report, authored by Ricardo Hausmann of Harvard University; Laura D. Tyson of University of California, Berkeley; and Saadia Zahidi of the World Economic Forum, says that the Global Gender Gap Index examines the gap between men and women in four fundamental categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment and health and survival.
Speaking of the global picture, the report claimed that, “There are still millions of ‘missing’ women each year, because of the preference for sons in some parts of the world. There are too many female infants who do not receive adequate access to healthcare, because of the lower value placed on girls, adding to the global burden of infant mortality.
“Girls are still missing out on primary and secondary education in far greater numbers than boys, thus depriving entire families, communities and economies of the proven and positive multiplier effects generated by girls’ education and instead aggravating poverty, the spread of HIV/AIDS, and maternal and infant mortality.
“In those countries where women do indeed receive the benefits of health and education, far too many are then unable to contribute fully and productively to the economy because of barriers to their entry into the workforce or barriers to accessing positions of leadership.
“Finally, women still remain vastly under-represented in political leadership and decision-making. The combined impact of these gaps entails colossal losses to the global society and economy.”
Trinidad and Tobago topped the region on the gender gap index, with a rating of 19. Iceland placed #1, while Yemen was last at 134th.
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