Chapter 2: Gender Roles

Colombia:

Although the country has made significant progress in terms of gender equality and women’s rights, these have been insufficient and too slow. As a clear example of this, women still have 20 percentage points less than men in labor participation, 5 more unemployment points, dedicate twice as much time to the care economy, and still have very little presence in public management positions and of the economic sector.

In contrast, according to the annual World Economic Forum report on gender gaps, in Colombia there is less and less difference in education. This statement is based on the fact that those who graduate from higher education are currently 54% women. Nevertheless, in economic and political terms, the wage gap does not offer such an encouraging picture. This is because, despite the progress that has been made, Women with the same training and the same position as men continue to receive 18% less salary compared to them.

United States

Although no country in the world has managed to close the gender gap completely, the US doesn’t belong to the small group of countries that are closer (or less distant) to achieve it. According to the 2017 Global Gender Gap Report of the Davos World Forum, the US is ranked 49th out of the 144 countries covered by the Report. Although this is similar to the 2016 edition, in which the US report was ranked 452 out of 144 countries, it is a very important setback if we take into account the 2015 report, in which the US was ranked 28th of the total of 145 countries analyzed. It is, therefore, a drop of 21 places in the ranking.

The data is even worse if we refer to the sub-index of political empowerment, in which the US goes down to the 96th position of the ranking, falling more than 20 places compared to the previous year. The low presence of women in this area is common to the legislative branch (House of Representatives and Senate) and the executive branch (federal and state).

Although the US has managed to close the gender gap in education (along with 26 other countries, among which are Colombia) and is ranked 19th in the ranking of the economic opportunity sub-index (which measures the percentage of women in the active population, salary equality and the professional positions they occupy), the low result in terms of political empowerment reflects that, despite the fact that equality between men and women has been achieved in education, barriers persist for women Access political power.

Also, according to available data, 4 of the 410 charges proposed so far by President Trump that require Senate approval, only 21% are women, compared to 79% of men.