(BEIRUT, LEBANON) — Lebanon suffers from severe gender inequality, according to the annual Gender Gap Index issued by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum on Tuesday.
The survey showed Lebanon falling to 135th place in the list of 142 nations, after Morocco and Jordan, which ranked 133rd and 134th, respectively.
Lebanon was ranked 141st for female political participation, given the low number of women holding public and political office. Lebanon was also at the bottom 10 in terms of labor force participation.
Gender equality was most apparent in Iceland, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Denmark, according to the report.
Syria ranked 139th, fourth place behind Yemen, Pakistan, and Chad, which remained at the bottom of the index.
“Achieving gender equality is obviously necessary for economic reasons. Only those economies who have full access to all their talent will remain competitive and will prosper,” Klaus Schwab, WEF founder and executive chairman, said in a statement.
The index ranks countries based on data reported by international organizations on four categories: health and survival, access to education, economic opportunity and political participation.
“Because women account for one-half of a country’s potential talent base, a nation’s competitiveness in the long term depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilizes its women,” the report said.
See the interactive report below: