FAST FACT: A New Way to Rank Women’s Economic Opportunity

By Kyla Bender-Baird

Last week, the Economic Intelligence Unit (EIU) launched a new global index and ranking of women’s economic opportunity. The pilot report builds on the United Nations Development Programme’s Gender-Related Development Index and the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Index. According to EIU,

Women’s economic opportunity is defined as a set of laws, regulations, practices, customs and attitudes that allow women to participate in the workforce under conditions roughly equal to those of men, whether as wage-earning employees or as owners of a business. The goal of this Index is to spur debate and research on the factors that affect women’s ability to access jobs and business opportunities. It is also intended to prompt improvements in policy and programmes that will encourage women’s participation in the workplace and thus create more productive economies overall.

How does the U.S stack up? Overall, the U.S. ranks 15th with a score of 76.8. This score is based on 26 indicators and five category scores: labor policy and practice, access to finance, education and training, legal and social status, and general business environment.

To learn more about how women’s economic opportunity plays out around the globe, click here to download the report.