Sri Lanka's slip on gender gap dismal

by Rukshana Rizwie

Sri Lanka has slipped 71 places to a regional rank of 84, according to the latest World Economic Forum Gender Report for 2015. This dismal downfall, the World Economic Forum says is a stark reflection and disappointing.

Data suggests that women in countries such as Sri Lanka were now earning what men earned 10 years ago - a global average of just over £7,300 ($11,000; €10,400) compared to £13,500 ($20,500; €19,200) paid to men.

However, Sri Lanka dropped five positions from its rank last year while demonstrating that it has less wage equality for similar work and fewer female legislators, senior officials and managers. Political empowerment performance has also regressed within a few years, with a female Head of State at one time, even though there are now more women in ministerial positions, the report said.

"The global picture though, is not always one of continual progress towards equality. The authors say they are particularly disappointed that progress on closing the wage gap has been stalling markedly in the last few years...." The Report noted. According to the Report, the Health and Survival Gender Gap is now closed. Since 2006, the country is the region's least improved country on the overall Index and the least improved in the world, on the Political Empowerment Sub-index.

Sri Lanka, Jordan, Mali, the Slovak Republic and Croatia form the six percent of countries that have widened the gender gap over the past 10 years.