Picture a world where women work nearly as many hours as men, but when you add up paid and unpaid labor they actually work more, all while earning significantly less, holding far fewer leadership positions, and facing greater barriers in health, education, and technology—this is the sobering reality of the global gender gap, illuminated by statistics showing that women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn, hold only a third of corporate board seats in the EU, spend 2.5 times more hours on unpaid work, and represent a mere 2.3% of venture capital funding recipients worldwide.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the global gender pay gap averaged 20%, with women earning approximately 77 cents for every dollar men earn across similar occupations and experience levels
- Globally, women's labor force participation rate was 47% compared to 72% for men in 2022, resulting in a participation gap of 25 percentage points
- In the EU, women held only 33.7% of board seats in largest publicly listed companies in 2022
- Worldwide, girls face a 15% higher dropout rate from school after age 12 due to economic pressures in 2022
- In low-income countries, female literacy rate is 65% compared to 82% for males aged 15+ in 2023
- Globally, 132 million girls are out of school, representing 8.2% of girls vs 8.4% boys but widening in secondary
- Global female life expectancy is 75.9 years vs 71.1 for males in 2023
- Maternal mortality ratio globally is 223 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, with 94% in low-income countries
- In low-income countries, 1 in 41 women die from pregnancy complications vs 1 in 5400 in high-income
- Globally, women hold 26.5% of parliamentary seats as of 2024
- In Rwanda, women occupy 61.3% of lower house seats, the highest globally in 2024
- Nordic countries average 47% female parliamentarians, with Sweden at 46.4% in 2023
- Globally, 64% of women use the internet vs 67% men, narrowing but persistent in LDCs at 29% vs 37% in 2023
- Women are 17% less likely to own a mobile phone than men globally in 2023
- In least developed countries, only 28% of women use internet vs 39% men in 2023
Persistent global gender gaps exist in pay, work, and political representation.
Digital Divide
- Globally, 64% of women use the internet vs 67% men, narrowing but persistent in LDCs at 29% vs 37% in 2023
- Women are 17% less likely to own a mobile phone than men globally in 2023
- In least developed countries, only 28% of women use internet vs 39% men in 2023
- Globally, women face 19% higher data costs as % of income, exacerbating gap in 2022
- In India, female internet users are 29% vs 44% male among adults in 2023
- Women receive 2.6% of VC funding for tech startups globally in 2023
- Globally, 37% gender gap in digital skills proficiency among youth in 2022
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, mobile money account ownership is 44% women vs 50% men in 2023
- Women are 30% less likely to use social media for professional networking in 2023
- In Pakistan, only 21% of women use internet vs 43% men in 2023
- Globally, AI research papers authored by women declined to 12% in 2022
- In rural areas of LDCs, female mobile ownership gap is 33% in 2023
- Women comprise 26% of cybersecurity workforce globally in 2023
- In Bangladesh, female digital literacy is 25% vs 45% male in 2022
- Globally, online harassment affects 38% of women vs 26% men in 2023
- In Latin America, women internet users lag by 10 percentage points in 2023
- Only 22% of AI professionals are women worldwide in 2023
- In Nigeria, female smartphone ownership is 35% vs 52% male in 2023
- Women-led tech firms get 1% of VC in Europe in 2022
- Globally, 300 million fewer women than men own mobiles in 2023
Digital Divide Interpretation
The digital world is built with a persistent, systemic short-circuit where women are routinely handed a dimmer switch and a higher bill.
Economic Participation
- In 2023, the global gender pay gap averaged 20%, with women earning approximately 77 cents for every dollar men earn across similar occupations and experience levels
- Globally, women's labor force participation rate was 47% compared to 72% for men in 2022, resulting in a participation gap of 25 percentage points
- In the EU, women held only 33.7% of board seats in largest publicly listed companies in 2022
- Unpaid care and domestic work accounts for 23% of women's time globally versus 10% for men, as per 2023 estimates
- In low-income countries, the female-to-male ratio in managerial positions was 0.65 in 2022, indicating women hold 39% fewer managerial roles
- US women experienced a motherhood wage penalty of 4% per child, accumulating to 30% lower earnings over career compared to childless women in 2021
- In India, the gender wage gap in rural areas reached 32% in 2022 for casual labor
- Globally, only 27% of entrepreneurial activity involves women as a share of total in 2023
- In Japan, women's share of part-time employment is 56% versus 20% for men in 2022, contributing to career gaps
- Latin America saw women's informal employment at 58% compared to 48% for men in 2021
- In Sub-Saharan Africa, female vulnerability to job loss during COVID-19 was 1.8 times higher than males in 2020-2021
- UK gender bonus gap was 72.3% in 2022, with men receiving £3,060 more on average
- In Brazil, women in formal sector earned 79.5% of men's wages in 2022
- Australia reported a 21.9% full-time gender pay gap in 2023
- In South Korea, women's labor participation rate for ages 25-54 was 68.2% vs 90.1% for men in 2022
- Globally, women-owned businesses receive only 2.3% of total venture capital funding in 2023
- In Nigeria, female farmers produce 20-30% less yield than male counterparts due to access gaps in 2022
- Canada saw women holding 30% of senior management roles in 2023, up from 22% in 2016
- In Germany, the adjusted gender pay gap was 18% in 2021
- South Africa had a 23% gender pay gap in formal employment in 2022
- In China, urban women's wages were 84.7% of men's in 2022
- Mexico's female labor force participation was 45% vs 76% male in 2022
- In the US, Black women face a 36.9% pay gap compared to white men in 2023
- Indonesia reported 46% female labor participation vs 82% male in 2023
- In France, women occupied 39.8% of executive committee seats in CAC40 companies in 2023
- Global estimate shows women spend 2.5 times more hours on unpaid work than men in 2023
- In Turkey, gender wage gap was 14% in 2022
- Egypt's female labor force participation stood at 18.3% vs 71.5% male in 2022
- In Sweden, despite low pay gap of 4.7%, women are 80% of part-time workers in 2022
- Vietnam saw women's formal sector wages at 87% of men's in 2023
Economic Participation Interpretation
Society has masterminded a global system where women are celebrated for their unpaid labor at home while being systematically shortchanged for it everywhere else.
Educational Attainment
- Worldwide, girls face a 15% higher dropout rate from school after age 12 due to economic pressures in 2022
- In low-income countries, female literacy rate is 65% compared to 82% for males aged 15+ in 2023
- Globally, 132 million girls are out of school, representing 8.2% of girls vs 8.4% boys but widening in secondary
- Women represent only 35% of STEM graduates worldwide in 2022
- In India, female gross enrollment ratio in higher education was 28.5 vs 29.3 for males in 2021-22
- Sub-Saharan Africa has a gender parity index of 0.78 for primary education in 2023
- In Pakistan, 52% of girls vs 68% boys complete primary education in 2022
- Globally, tertiary education sees 1.01 female-to-male ratio but drops to 0.72 in STEM fields
- Afghanistan under Taliban saw female higher education enrollment drop to near 0% post-2021
- In Latin America, indigenous girls have 20% lower secondary completion rates than boys in 2022
- US women earn 57% of bachelor's degrees but only 21% in computer science in 2023
- In Niger, adult female literacy is 17.5% vs 43.3% male in 2022
- Brazil's gender gap in secondary completion is 5%, with girls at 82% vs boys 87% in 2022
- Globally, refugee girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys in 2023
- In Bangladesh, female enrollment in technical vocational education is 25% vs 75% male in 2022
- EU average shows women at 59% of university graduates but 24% in engineering in 2022
- Yemen has female literacy at 35% vs 70% male among youth in 2021
- In South Africa, girls' matric pass rate is 89% vs 85% boys but tertiary gap persists in STEM
- Globally, 750 million women lack basic literacy skills compared to 250 million men in 2023
- Iran shows female tertiary enrollment at 59% vs 48% male but employment gap follows
- In Ethiopia, rural girls' primary net enrollment is 68% vs 74% boys in 2022
- Australia has near parity in education but women 29% of STEM PhDs in 2023
- Mali's gender parity index for secondary education is 0.52 in 2022
- In the Philippines, women are 53% of college enrollees but underrepresented in leadership
- Global average years of schooling for women is 9.2 vs 10.1 for men in 2023
- In Morocco, female illiteracy rate over 25 is 32% vs 17% male in 2022
- Kenya reports 92% primary parity but 0.74 secondary in 2023
- Women comprise 49% of primary teachers globally but 69% in pre-primary in 2022
Educational Attainment Interpretation
This grimly consistent global tapestry, stitched with dropout rates and literacy gaps, reveals a persistent and systemic educational filter: it continues to quietly siphon girls away from opportunity from the very moment puberty makes them an economic liability to when they try to claim a seat in a university lecture hall or a high-tech lab.
Health and Survival
- Global female life expectancy is 75.9 years vs 71.1 for males in 2023
- Maternal mortality ratio globally is 223 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, with 94% in low-income countries
- In low-income countries, 1 in 41 women die from pregnancy complications vs 1 in 5400 in high-income
- Globally, 60% of suicides among women occur before age 50, compared to 75% for men after, but rates higher for men
- Anemia affects 40% of pregnant women and 37% of non-pregnant women aged 15-49 globally in 2022
- In India, sex ratio at birth is 108 boys to 100 girls, indicating 4.5 million missing females cumulatively
- HIV prevalence among women is 1.3 times higher than men in sub-Saharan Africa in 2023
- Globally, 94% of maternal deaths occur in low and lower-middle income countries in 2020
- Female genital mutilation affects 200 million girls and women in 30 countries as of 2023
- In Afghanistan, female under-5 mortality is 10% higher due to healthcare access in 2022
- Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, with 2.3 million new cases globally in 2022
- Globally, girls aged 15-19 are twice as likely to die from pregnancy complications than women 20+
- In Pakistan, female immunization coverage is 75% vs 82% male for DTP3 in 2022
- Osteoporosis affects 1 in 3 women over 50 worldwide
- In Nigeria, maternal mortality is 814 per 100,000 live births in 2020
- Global depression prevalence is 5.1% for women vs 3.6% men in 2023
- Sex-selective abortions have led to 142 million missing females in Asia-Pacific since 1970
- In Sierra Leone, female life expectancy is 69 years vs 64 for males but maternal deaths high at 1,120/100k
- Globally, 800 women die daily from preventable pregnancy causes in 2023
- Female tobacco use is rising in low-income countries, with 7.8% prevalence vs 32% male in 2022
- In Yemen, 21% of women aged 20-24 married before 18, increasing health risks
- Alzheimer's disease affects women twice as much as men globally
- In DRC, female under-5 stunting is 43% vs 42% male but malnutrition gaps in micronutrients
- Global female healthy life expectancy is 64.8 years vs 63.6 for males in 2019
- Intimate partner violence causes 38% of female homicides worldwide in 2022
- In Somalia, maternal mortality reaches 1,200 per 100,000 live births in 2020
- Women in Europe have 5-7 years longer life expectancy than men on average in 2023
- Globally, only 52% of women have access to modern contraception in need in 2023
- In South Sudan, female genital mutilation prevalence is 76% among certain ethnic groups
- Cervical cancer kills 350,000 women annually, 90% in low-income countries
Health and Survival Interpretation
The numbers tell a chilling tale of a world where women are born into a deficit, living longer but riskier lives, fighting for survival from birth through motherhood against a tide of systemic neglect, violence, and inequity.
Political Empowerment
- Globally, women hold 26.5% of parliamentary seats as of 2024
- In Rwanda, women occupy 61.3% of lower house seats, the highest globally in 2024
- Nordic countries average 47% female parliamentarians, with Sweden at 46.4% in 2023
- Globally, only 22.8% of ministerial positions are held by women in 2023
- In the US, women hold 27.2% of seats in the House of Representatives in 2024
- Cuba has 55.7% women in National Assembly, second highest worldwide in 2023
- Only 13 countries have 50% or more women in lower parliaments as of 2024
- In India, women constitute 14.7% of Lok Sabha members post-2024 elections
- Globally, 8.6% of elected heads of state are women in 2024
- Mexico achieved 50% female deputies in Congress via quotas in 2021
- In the EU, women are 32.7% of parliamentarians average in 2023
- Vietnam has 30.3% women in National Assembly in 2021-26 term
- Only 27% of local government seats worldwide held by women in 2023
- In Saudi Arabia, women hold 19.9% of Shura Council seats since 2013 reforms
- Globally, women are 35.5% of local councillors where data available in 2023
- Argentina has 40% women in Congress due to Ley de Cupos in 2023
- In Japan, women are 10.3% of House of Representatives in 2023
- 136 countries have gender quotas for parliament as of 2024
- New Zealand has 50% women in cabinet under Ardern legacy in 2023
- In Egypt, women hold 27.6% of parliament seats via quota in 2021
- Globally, progress to parity in political empowerment takes 162 years at current rate
- Finland elects 45.5% women to parliament in 2023 elections
- In Bangladesh, women are 20.9% of Jatiya Sangsad members in 2024
- Only 3 women have been UN Secretary-General candidates historically
- Spain reaches 44% women in Congress post-2023 elections
- In Tunisia, women hold 26% of Assembly seats in 2023
- Globally, women justices are 38% in highest courts where data exists
- UAE has 50% women in Federal National Council since 2019
- In the UK, women are 34.4% of MPs after 2024 election
- Globally, 91% of countries have women mayors but under 10% in largest cities
Political Empowerment Interpretation
While global progress in women's political representation crawls forward at the pace of continental drift, a few bright spots like Rwanda and Sweden prove that when intentional action is taken, parity is possible, but the overall picture remains a frustrating patchwork of isolated triumphs amidst vast, persistent inequality.
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