Gender equality scores fall in Apac

Disappointing results from an annual gender equality survey in the Asia- Pacific region were announced at the 18th Global Summit of Women held in Vietnam.

The figures, given in the MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women’s Advancement, showed the lowest overall scores for the region in the report’s four-year history. The figures declined in seven of the 13 countries surveyed.

Using a scale in which 100 represents equality between men and women and lower scores indicate inequality in favour of men, the MasterCard index recorded an overall score of 70.38, nearly three points lower than last year’s 73.24.

The lowest score was 50 in Japan and the highest 87 in the Philippines. Hong Kong was second and Malaysia third.

The benchmarks used for the calculations included the ratio of female to male participation in the workforce, the ratio of women in ‘managerial’ jobs, and their perceived ability to earn above-median incomes.