Asia may lead the world in economic growth rates but when it comes to gender equality, most of it has a long way to go even to catch up with much of sub-Saharan Africa and most of Latin America and the Caribbean. Of Asian nations, only the usually much-maligned Philippines stands out – despite its church-driven campaigns against family-planning in gender equality– ranking fifth of 136 countries surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) That is an astonishing achievement, putting it ahead of most of the developed world even including New Zealand, often seen as a model of gender equality. The top five are Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
Asia's Gender Problem
Asia may lead the world in economic growth rates but when it comes to gender equality, most of it has a long way to go even to catch up with much of sub-Saharan Africa and most of Latin America and the Caribbean. Of Asian nations, only the usually much-maligned Philippines stands out – despite its church-driven campaigns against family-planning in gender equality– ranking fifth of 136 countries surveyed by the World Economic Forum (WEF) That is an astonishing achievement, putting it ahead of most of the developed world even including New Zealand, often seen as a model of gender equality. The top five are Iceland, Finland, Norway and Sweden.
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