In May 2006, the World Economic Forum released The Global Gender Gap Report, offering a Gender Gap Index. The index includes over 115 countries and their economies, including all current and candidate European Union countries, 20 from Latin America and Caribbean, over 20 from sub-Saharan Africa, North America, and 10 from the Arab World. Together, the 115 countries represent over 90 percent of the world’s population. The study and index use available data from international organizations and the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey to assess the level of equality between women and men.

The use of gaps over levels makes the Global Gender Gap Report particularly useful in assessing the current status of Canada’s gender equality relative to other countries in the world. The report reveals that Canada is insufficient in areas such as political empowerment and education, and lagging behind many countries that are often perceived as less progressive towards implementing women’s rights.

Check out the fact sheet Impact of Poverty on Women, created by a group of Ryerson students from Toronto.