China has received plenty of criticism for the poor working conditions, heavy pollution, and sometimes-dangerous products associated with its remarkable economic boom. Now it is getting praise for increasing gender equality.
A World Economic Forum study released today says China climbed 16 places, to No. 57, in an annual ranking of sexual parity in 130 countries around the world.
The study, called the Global Gender Gap Report 2008, ranks the social, political, and economic status of the sexes in each country, based on education, health statistics, job opportunities, income, and political participation. The results are expressed as a percentage to show how close women are to parity with men.
In the top-ranking nation, Norway, for example, women have 82 percent of the access to resources and opportunities that men enjoy; that’s 2 percentage points more than last year, when Norway was ranked No. 2. (more . . .)
