The World Economic Forum has published the Global Gender Gap Report 2023, ranking Lithuania 6th in Europe and 9th in the world for gender equality.
“Compared to 2022, we have risen two positions and are now in the top ten. Of course, we still have a long way to go on gender equality, but the changes are visible,” says Monika Navickienė, Minister of Social Security and Labour.
The Global Gender Gap Index compares the current status and development of gender equality annually in four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunities, education, health and survival, and political participation. It is the longest-running index, tracking the efforts and progress of many countries to close the gender gap since its launch in 2006.
Iceland has made the most progress, followed by Norway, Finland, New Zealand, Sweden, Germany, Nicaragua, Namibia, Lithuania, and Belgium.
“While we are climbing upwards, it must be acknowledged that gender inequality is still a structural problem that requires societal change. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2023, the gender pay gap in Lithuania is 9.33%. Men also take less and shorter parental leave than women. This makes it more challenging for Lithuanian women to maintain positions of importance, skills, and recognition in the labour market. We need to do even more to make reconciling work and family responsibilities easier for Lithuanian women,” said Minister Navickienė.
According to Minister Navickienė, the encouraging results of the women’s power domain mentioned in the Global Gender Gap 2023 report, which have influenced the change in Lithuania’s position, will not automatically become a trend upwards if no action is planned. Therefore, targeted funding has been earmarked for an NGO project as early as 2022 to encourage women to engage and participate in political life and elections and to reduce stereotypes associated with women’s political participation.
