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Which countries and regions have managed to address and successfully reduce gender disparities?

Miguel Kollas

Many countries and regions have made significant strides in addressing and reducing gender disparities, with each achieving different levels of success. To assess the progress made by different countries, several studies have been conducted regarding gender equality, such as the United Nations Development Programme's Gender Inequality Index (GII) and the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report. One of the countries that is often cited as a leader in gender equality is Iceland, which ranked first in the Global Gender Gap Report in 2020. Iceland has made significant progress in bridging the gender gap in education, as well as in political and economic empowerment. The country also has implemented policies such as paternity leave, affordable childcare and equal pay laws, which have helped to bring about change and support the progress already made for women. Nordic countries like Sweden, Norway, and Finland also have a reputation for being progressive when it comes to addressing gender disparities. These countries have implemented policies such as quotas for women in leadership positions, flexible working hours, and extensive parental leave, which have resulted in increased female participation in the workforce and higher levels of gender equality. Other countries that have made significant progress in reducing gender disparities include the Netherlands, which ranked first for gender equality in the European Union in 2019, and Canada, which has been implementing various policies to create a more gender-inclusive society, such as ensuring women have increased access to capital and building a gender responsive budgeting plan. Women's rights are still an area of concern in many developing countries like the Middle East, Asia and Africa. Still, some have managed to make notable achievements in addressing gender disparities despite strong cultural and religious opposition. For instance, Rwanda, despite being one of the world's poorest countries, maintains a high level of female political representation, with over 60% of parliamentarians being women; it's a path that could serve as an example and inspiration to other countries. In conclusion, several countries and regions have taken significant steps in addressing and reducing gender disparities. However, different countries have different approaches to achieving progress, with the level of improvement varying across one country to another. Progress in some countries has been quicker than others, and there is still much work to do to achieve gender equality on a global scale, it's everyone's responsibility to keep the conversation going and recognize the role that each one can play to address gender equality issues.