According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report, the United States falls in at number 20 out of 142 countries for women’s equality, a ranking that puts the U.S. under less developed countries like Nicaragua, Rwanda and the Philippines.
Providing a breakdown of the ranking in terms of economic opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment, the report shows how the land of the “milk and honey” compares to other nation’s around the globe.
In terms of equal male and female enrollment in secondary education, the U.S. comes in first place, but when it comes to wage equality for similar work, the U.S. ranks in at number 65. Studies still show that the average working full-time woman makes 78 percent of what a man with similar employment makes. When the statistics are broken down by race, the numbers are even more alarming for black women with the National Women’s Law Center showing that black women make 64 cents every dollar earned by white men.
On a scale of one to seven, with one being the worst and seven the best, the U.S. earns a 4.9 when it comes to women being promoted to positions of leadership in the workforce. While WEF says that many other countries provide specific details about women in the workforce, U.S. companies disclose vague details that usually aren’t related to race and gender. According to reports, women hold less than 17 percent of corporate board seats at Fortune 500 companies, and for the past eight years this statistic has showed no signs of improvement.