Canada not a feminist paradise after all October 13, 2010

Canada sits behind Sri Lanka, Lesotho and Latvia, at No. 20, in a global measure of equality between men and women. Not surprisingly, the Nordic countries – Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden – are still on top of the World Economic Forum’s gender gap study released Tuesday. Canada’s position actually improved from last year, when it was 25th, with its chief strengths in educational attainment and economic participation, the report said. The features of Canadian society that result in the relatively low ranking are a gap in income earning between men and women and the paucity of women in elected office. The Globe and Mail notes that women make up half of Canada’s population while holding just one fifth of the seats in Parliament. Coverage of Canada’s ranking can be found here.