BD betters position in WEF Gender Gap index

Bangladesh  this year posts its highest ever overall score (68) in the rankings of the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap 2014 Report, published Tuesday.

The country made important improvements to opportunities for economic participation for women, and gains in education and health to better the ranking.

It is the best-performing country in the region on equality of primary education and is in the top 10 for secondary education.

Bangladesh ranks poorly, however, for equality of representation in the legislature and in senior posts, although it has had a female head of state indicator for 21 years out of the past 50.

Bangladesh is the second-highest ranking country for the percentage of women aged 15 to 19 in marriage.

The Philippines and New Zealand are the best-performing countries in Asia and the Pacific in the rankings.

The report ranks 142 countries on their ability to close the gender gap - making sure women are not held back - in four fundamental areas: economic participation and opportunity, education, health and survival, and political empowerment.

In 2014, the Asia and the Pacific region has closed 66% of its overall gender gap; of the 18 countries in the region, 11 have improved their overall score, six have seen their score decreased and one has stayed the same compared to last year.