International
Women’s Day seems like an appropriate occasion to ask which
countries do best by women — and why.
Obviously, the answer depends on how you define “best” — in absolute terms, relative to men, or some combination of the two?
You can choose from at least four different published rankings that consider some aspect of gender inequality that include the United States. None of them places us among the top 10.
I [NANCY FOLBRE] wish I could say which ranking I consider best, but they all have serious limitations. One consistent finding, however, is that public policies have a significant impact on gender equality, regardless of the level of overall economic development.
In 1995, the United Nations Human Development report introduced two
measures designed to facilitate cross-country comparisons of the status
of women. One, the Gender-Related
Development Index (G.D.I.) takes as its starting point a Human
Development Index based on life expectancy at birth, enrollment in
schools, adult literacy and per capita gross domestic product.
To read the full, original article click on this link: The World’s Best Countries for Women - Economix Blog - NYTimes.com
Author: NANCY FOLBRE
