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Nordic countries top Gender Gap Index while France slips and US climbs

• Nordic countries once again top The Global Gender Gap Report’s Index
• The index ranks 134 economies according to the size of the gaps between men and women
• US climbs to enter top 20 for first time while France falls to 46th position due to fewer women in ministerial posts
• Download the full report and the rankings on the World Economic Forum's website
  

New York, USA, 12 October 2010 - Nordic countries Iceland (1), Norway (2), Finland (3) and Sweden (4) continue to demonstrate the greatest equality between men and women according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2010.

According to the report’s index, the level of gender equality in France (46) has sunk as the number of women in ministerial positions has fallen over the past 12 months. The United States (19) closed its gender gap, rising 12 places to enter the top 20 for the first time in the report’s five-year history. The climb reflects the higher number of women in leading roles in the current administration and improvements in the wage gap.