Spain has fallen 14 places, from 12 to 26, in the index of gender equality, a report produced annually by the World Economic Forum /WEF) which assesses countries according to the degree of social balance they have achieved relating to gender.
The WEF collects data from 135 countries, 93% of the world’s population, and the ‘gender gap’ analysed with respect to four key areas: health, education, political participation and economic equality.
Spain’s fall down the rankings, which are headed by Iceland and the other Nordic countries, is due to a decrease in the number of women in ministerial positions.
Spain was 38th in ‘educational attainment’, 34th in ‘health and mortality’, 75th in ‘economic participation and opportunities’ and 27th in ‘political influence’.
Countries above Spain in the rankings, which are in their seventh year, are: Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, New Zealand, Denmark, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Switzerland, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Lesotho, Latvia, South Africa, Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Cuba, Austria, Canada, United States, Mozambique, Burundi and Australia.
The bottom ten countries in the rankings are: Egypt, Iran, Mali, Morocco, Ivory Coast, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Chad, Pakistan and bottom of the pile, Yemen