Global study: Covid-19 has set gender equality back a generation

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Clenched fist for women's rights - there is still a long way to go before equality

Photo: Johner Images/Getty Images

The long-standing trend towards more gender equality has been stalled by the pandemic.

Covid-19 has set gender equality back a generation.

That is the bitter conclusion of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

In its Global Gender Gap Report, the WEF calculates that it will be another 132 years before women and men around the world have the same opportunities, salaries and rights.

The report has been published annually since 2006 and examines the opportunities for women and men in 146 countries in terms of health, education, economic participation and political participation.

The result: the corona pandemic has pushed women around the world back into traditional role models.

Cooking, cleaning, looking after children – the so-called care work was mainly done by women even before Corona.

During the pandemic, kindergartens and schools were closed worldwide, and the additional burden was mainly on women.

“Progress in bridging the global gender gap is too slow to make up for the losses accumulated during the pandemic,” the study states.

Gender parity in the labor force is now at its lowest level on record.

The authors therefore fear that women will suffer particularly from the rising cost of living worldwide.

Targeted measures to help women find their way back into working life and the promotion of female talent in future-oriented industries are now in demand worldwide, says WEF Managing Director Saadia Zahidi: "Otherwise we risk permanently undermining the achievements of recent decades."

Economic participation in Germany as of 2009

Germany made it to 10th place in this year's ranking, with the best value ever achieved in the ranking.

But: In the category

, Germany lost points in all indicators and is now back at the level of 2009. Here, for example, it is examined whether the same work is paid equally for men and women - and on this point it cuts Germany fared particularly badly.

In a worldwide comparison, it is only enough for place 105.

Germany performs best in the

, where the greatest improvements have been made since 2006. Among other things, the proportion of women in the German Bundestag and the number of female ministers are evaluated here.

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, the authors attest the Federal Republic of Germany to have closed almost 98 percent of the justice gap.

However, numerous other countries achieve even better values ​​here, so that Germany only ranks 81st in this field.

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, for example, life expectancy is assessed.

There have been hardly any changes in Germany in recent years.

Equal opportunities for women and men are 97 percent.

Role model Iceland

Iceland has been the undisputed number one in the global ranking for years and has now been able to close the gap between men and women by more than 90 percent.

This is followed by Finland, Norway and New Zealand.

Sweden, Rwanda, Nicaragua, Namibia and Ireland are ahead of Germany.

From a regional perspective, North America is a pioneer.

It will take another 59 years there before women and men really have equal rights according to the WEF categories.

Europe follows in second place at the age of 60 up to equal opportunities.

South Asia brings up the rear.

It will be almost 200 years before women can catch up with men.

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