NZ 9th most gender equal

The Herald reports:

New Zealand has been named one of the world’s most gender-equal countries – but the new Minister for Women says progress has stalled and the Government needs to take a greater lead.

The World Economic Forum releases its Global Gender Gap Report 2017 today, which uses an index to rank 144 countries on where women are more likely to be able to participate fully in political and economic life and enjoy the most equal access to education and healthcare.

New Zealand was estimated to have closed 79 per cent of its overall gender gap – placing it 9th in the world, just ahead of the Philippines, and behind Ireland in 8th. …

New Zealand is the most gender-equal country in the East Asia Pacific region, and since the reports started in 2006 has closed its gap by four percentage points.

So 9th best in the world. It will be interesting to see where we are in three years.