Yemen ranks last in gender equality, WEF report

Yemen continues to occupy the last place in the region as well as in the overall rankings of 134 countries. Yemen remains the only country in the world to have closed less than 50% of its gender gap, and it deteriorates rather this year relative to its own performance in 2008, stated the World Economic Forum Report 2009.

“It seems not one is showing any effort to improve these ratings. I don’t see them changing unless amendments are made. There must be changes in equality in elections and women’s issues brought to the forefront,” stated Raufa Hassan, Media Professor at Sana’a University and Chairperson of Cultural Development Programs Foundation.

Since 2006, the World Economic Forum has conducted quantitative analyses on the gap of equality between men and women in many countries. The Global Gender Gap Index reports each country’s progress in closing the gap between the genders. With 134 countries in this years report, the ability to assess each state’s progress and relation to others is becoming easier. Iceland ranked number one, and for the fourth consecutive year, Yemen was ranked last.
When the international community views this outcome, it can be more than confusing. Saudi Arabia still prohibits women from driving vehicles and voting for governmental elections, South African women have a higher chance of being raped than learning how to read, and 48% of women in Zambia disclosed domestic abuse. With many injustices towards women around the world, how did Yemen acquire the worst?

To fully understand the rating Yemen obtained, it’s important to understand how the report computes the collected information. The Index measures equality on four dimensions: economic, political, education- and health-based criteria. Generating awareness within the international community applies pressure to the countries with the greatest disparities. The unique aspect of how the report is analyzed is that the Index is not calculating women’s empowerment, variables in assisting women’s equality or policies in place assuring equal rights. The Index only tallies the actual numbers on the ground, graphing the outcomes, not the means.

To measure each dimension, the World Economic Forum set up calculations based on United Nations, World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, and Central Intelligence Agency’s surveys and reports. For example, to reach a percentage of equality in political empowerment, there were ratios collected from women with seats in parliament over male value, women at ministerial level over male value, and the number of years with a female head of state or government (last 50 years) over male value.  After adding the ratios together in each subindex, the averages result in the percentage for the group. Using the percentages from every country, the WEF ranked the countries.

How did Yemen get such a low score? It’s hard to  grasp the drastic issues affecting Yemen, unless focusing on the micro-level.
First, the report addresses the economic participation and opportunity gender gap. The estimated earned income for a female is $1,038 and males earn $3,454 annually. This gives a female-to-male ratio of .30. Out of 100 legislators, senior officials, or managers, there are would be only 4 females holding these positions, giving Yemen a score of .04. These low participation rates averaged Yemen for this subindex a 23% score.

Second, the WEB based their score by educational attainment. Yemen’s literacy rate falls under 40% for females. According to reports by the Minister of Education and the United Nations Children’s Fund, the main reason preventing girls from being educated is the increasing population; there are simply too many children to build schools for, and too many children for impoverished families to pay for . “The Ministry of Education is making improvements in enrolling more children. They are striving to have schools more accessible and registration high,” said Ms. Hassan. While schools are currently being built and classrooms are being made available, it does rely on the cooperation of the parents to prepare and send their children to school. Another factor is the cost of books and uniforms, which places a heavy burden on poor families. Families prefer to invest in boys’ education in the hopes that they will be able to help their families in the future.

Third, the health and survival of both sexes is included in the report. This subindex was the only section that Yemen achieved higher rates than the sample average. It was fairly equal, as Yemeni women have a 51% chance of a healthy life expectancy and men have 48%.

The last subindex calculates the political empowerment equality. The Kings of Sheba, a documentary that investigates Yemen’s 2006 parliamentary elections, sheds light on the “quota” system for women’s candidacy. While Yemen touts a strong 15% quota, the reality is upsetting for many voters. “There is only one female in the 301 seat parliament. The parties promote their ‘voice’ for women, but are just setting false promises to reel in voters’ support,” explained Husnia al-Kudri, director of Gender Studies at Sana’a University.

Yemen faces many challenges, including gender imbalances in education, and political participation. While the government is providing accessibility to both, as proven by elections and school enrollment, culture is pulling it back. The gender disparity illustrates the lack of community involvement and national awareness. As the world encounters a deep economic recession, it is time to confront this financial burden. “It is more important now than ever before for countries and companies to pay heed to one of the fundamental cornerstones of economic growth available to them – the skills and talent of their female human resource pool,” stated Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

 

 

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