Gender Equality: Croatia in the First 20 Countries in the World

Croatia is among the 14 European countries that entered the top 20 places in the 2007 Global Gender Gap Report of the World Economic Forum (WEF), covering 128 countries or 90 percent of the population on the plant.

The four Scandinavian countries, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland top the list. Croatia is placed 16th, with a total average grade of 0.721, with big participation of women in governing bodies, says the Report. Macedonia is ranked 35th, with an average grade of 0.697.

The neighbouring countries are ranked behind Croatia, so that we have Slovenia in 49th, Hungary in 61st and Italy in 84th place. The Report didn�t cover BiH, Montenegro and Serbia.

The WEF Gender Equality Index is prepared with measurements of equality of men and women in four critical areas: economy � evaluates the situation in the labour market, salary policies and access to high-ranking positions; access to education; political participation in decision-making structures; and, access to healthcare and life expectancy.

WEF emphasizes that gender equality grows parallel with the economy and concludes that there is a global trend of reduction of the gender gap, with the exception of healthcare, where the gap actually increases.

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