Bahrain women 'not so equal' to men

Bahrain is one among the bottom ranking countries when it comes to exercising gender equality, says an international report.

The kingdom ranks 123 out of 145 countries on Gender Equality and the figures are based on the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s annual Global Gender Gap Report, which measures countries according to where women are more likely to be able to participate fully in political and economic life and enjoy the most equal access to education and healthcare.

Iceland came first, followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden Ireland, Rwanda, Philippines, Switzerland, Slovenia and New Zealand.

The countries that showcased least gender quality are Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Chad, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Lebanon, Mali and Egypt, in that order.

According to the report, 60 percent of Bahrain’s university graduates are women and of the proportion of women and men in, or looking for, work is 41 percent to 88 percent.

Out of 145 countries, the only four where women than men are in work are Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda and Burundi.

The report points out that in Bahrain, only around one in 10 senior officials, managers and legislators are female. Statistically speaking, for every 88 men in these posts, there are only 13 women.

Only in Colombia, Fiji and the Philippines do more women than men occupy these roles.

The share of government ministers that are women is only five percent, says the report.

Meanwhile Saudi Arabia came 134, Kuwait 117, Oman 135, Qatar 122 and UAE 119.

The rankings were compiled by calculating gender-based gaps in access to resources and opportunities within each country. This enables the index to compare rich and poor countries on an equal footing.

This year's report is the 10th produced by the Forum and covers 145 countries.

Data on the gender pay gap is from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The figure for each country is the latest available and ranges from 2010-13.

The Bahrain Economic Development Board and the Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company are strategic partners of the WEF.