It'll Take More Than 100 Years To Close The Gender Economic Gap (But Tell Us More About How It's A Myth)

It’s no secret that dismantling institutional sexism is a long-term project, but now we can officially put a number on it. Business Insider reports that the World Economic Forum (WEF) calculated it will take 200 years to close the gender economic gap across the globe. The study also looked at disparities in politics, health, and education — and concluded would take 108 years to fully resolve.

Per usual, these numbers only tell part of the story, since gender equity is unevenly distributed throughout the globe and individual communities. Broken down by region, the 2018 Global Gender Gap Report concludes that the gender gap will be closed in 61 years in Western Europe, but not for a whopping 171 years in East Asia.

While the study looks primarily at countries as a whole, the history of intersectional discrimination means the fight for the rights of marginalized women will likely be much more arduous and time-consuming. For instance, Vox reports that black women in the US earn 63 cents for every dollar earned by a white man, which is 16 cents lower than white women who earn 79 cents to the dollar.

As part of their study, the WEF compiled a list ranking the gender equity gap in every country. The US ranking is one of the most disappointing, but, frankly, unsurprising statistics. At 51st in the world, the US is beat in gender equality by countries like the UK, Rwanda Latvia, and Canada—all of which are listed in the top 20. Countries at the bottom of the ranking include Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria.

The top four countries (Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Finland) provide a practical blueprint for how countries can build a society allows women to gain power and prosper. In an in-depth study on why these Nordic countries rank so highly, the WEF found that their key attributes included female political representation, progressive policies, and paid maternal leave.