Ahead of the World Economic Forum’s East Asia Regional Meeting on April 19, we’re looking at how countries in the ASEAN group compare on key issues. The Philippines is by far the best-performing of the 10 ASEAN members in the World Economic Forum’s 2014 report on the Global Gender Gap and the only country in the region to make the top 10 globally.
The report ranks 142 countries on their ability to close the gender gap – making sure women are not held back – in four areas: economic participation and opportunity, education, health and survival, and political empowerment. The ASEAN group as a whole is progressing. Of the nine countries for which there is data (Myanmar did not take part) there is an average gap of 30.7% against a figure of 31.1% for the 2013 report.
how asean nations rank in terms of gender equality.
The Philippines (9th) ranks strongly for economic participation and wage equality. It has narrowed the education, health and survival gaps, and is the second-best country (after Norway) on the ability of women to rise to positions of leadership in enterprise. It also has the highest percentage of firms with female participation in ownership (69%).and has entirely closed the gender gap in education with more females than males at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.