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Morocco World
a day ago
- Politics
- Morocco World
France's Gender Equality Minister Visits Morocco to Help Boost Women's Empowerment
Rabat – France's Minister for Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination, Aurore Bergé, will visit Morocco from June 23-25. The trip aims to strengthen bilateral cooperation on feminist diplomacy, human rights, and social issues, building on the strategic dialogue launched after President Emmanuel Macron's state visit in October of 2024. Central to the visit is the goal of promoting economic empowerment for women. In Rabat, Bergé is scheduled to meet with Naïma Ben Yahia, Morocco's Minister of Solidarity, Social Inclusion, and Family, to discuss joint initiatives aimed at preventing violence against women. A joint declaration of intent is planned to outline the shared objective of integrating women's rights into public policy. In Nouaceur – a province near Casablanca known for its industrial zones and home to the Mohammed V International Airport – the minister will visit the Safran Nacelles industrial site along with the Institute of Aeronautics Trades to examine the role of women in the Moroccan industrial sector, focusing on vocational training and professional integration programs. Bergé will also meet with Nadia Fettah Alaoui, Minister of Economy and Finance, Amina Bouayach, President of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), and Ahmed Abbadi, Secretary General of the Rabita of the Ulemas – Muslim scholars – to discuss gender-related issues across governmental and institutional levels. The visit will include a review of field projects supported by the French Development Agency, such as the 'Ajyal Égalité' program, which provides support for women affected by violence. The trip may also facilitate Morocco's participation in the international conference on feminist diplomacy scheduled in Paris in October 2025. In Marrakech, Minister Bergé will visit social institutions including the Lalla Amina Center for children deprived of family care and facilities focused on women's economic empowerment. The visit aims to promote coordination among institutional, economic, and associative actors related to social inclusion and gender equality. The visit comes as Morocco ranks 137th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report—second in the Maghreb and tenth in the Arab world. Despite slight gains in education and political representation, Morocco remains near the bottom globally in economic participation and health. By contrast, France ranks 35th and holds fourth place among G7 nations. The visit's focus on feminist diplomacy and women's empowerment reflects an official effort to advance gender equality on an international level. However, some of Bergé's previous statements expose deeper tensions within white Western feminism—where orientalist biases and selective political narratives can undermine solidarity and inclusivity. Following the murder of a Muslim man at the Khadija mosque in La Grand-Combe, southern France, Minister Aurore Bergé sparked controversy by dismissing the use of the term 'islamophobia' to describe the attack. 'I understand those who might spontaneously use it, because they see it as a way (…) to express support and empathy. But I believe it is not an appropriate term,' Bergé said. 'I also discussed this with the Prime Minister. Sometimes, we must allow for nuance. This nuance is crucial to me because I know those pushing to impose this term today do so with questionable intentions,' she added. Simultaneously, Bergé demanded a firm break from the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI) over allegations of antisemitism. Yet, these accusations are less about hostility toward Jewish people and more about LFI's outspoken condemnation of the Israeli state and its ongoing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza—a pressing feminist issue and a litmus test of genuine political and social commitment to justice.
7 days ago
- Business
No Improvement for Japan in 2025 Gender Gap Ranking
Japan Data Gender and Sex Politics Society Jun 16, 2025 A drop in the number of women in the cabinet to just two contributed to Japan remaining at 118th in the Global Gender Gap Index for 2025. Japan's position remained unchanged at 118th in the Global Gender Gap Report issued by the World Economic Forum on June 12, 2025, which ranked 148 countries in terms of gender equality. The WEF report analyzes various statistical data on the status of women using four categories: economy, education, health, and politics. The gender gap index is based on 1.00 being the highest possible score, indicating that gender parity has been achieved, while 0.00 means complete gender disparity. Among Group of Seven countries, Britain was ranked the highest in terms of gender equality, leaping ten places to fourth overall. Germany (9) was the next-highest G7 country, followed by Canada (32), France (35), the United States (42), and Italy (85). Japan was the only G7 nation to fail to place within the top 100. Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru's October 2024 cabinet only included two female ministers (10% of the total), which was a significant drop from the five (25%) in Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's cabinet the previous year. This led to Japan dropping in the ranking for politics from 113th to 125th. 2025 Global Gender Gap Index Rankings Created by based on data from the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2025. Data Sources Global Gender Gap Report 2025 from the World Economic Forum, 2025. (Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.) gender women gender equality
Perth Now
14-06-2025
- Business
- Perth Now
‘Fantastic': Australia's big gender gap win
Australia has recorded its best ever gender equality ranking in a major global report, but the government is being warned not to rest on its laurels. After placing 24th last year in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report, Australia has jumped 11 places and is now 13th out of 148 countries. It is Australia's best result since the report began in 2006 and a far cry from our country's record low 50th place in 2021. The ranking jump is attributed to improvements in female political empowerment, economic participation and educational attainment. Australia ranked well in education, with joint first in literacy rate, primary education enrolment and university enrolment. Minister for Women Katy Gallagher said it was a 'fantastic result' for Australia. Minister for Women Katy Gallagher celebrated Australia's result. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'When the Albanese Labor Government was first elected in 2022, we said that improving the lives of women and girls was one of our key focuses, and today's result – our best ever – shows we are delivering on that commitment,' Senator Gallagher said. 'Whether it is investing in women's wages and economic opportunities, investing in sexual and reproductive healthcare, or investing in policies to address women's safety and tackling gender-based violence, our government is backing up words with action.' Parenthood chief executive Georgie Dent celebrated the 'meaningful' changes by the government, but called on them to continue the 'significant work' still to do on measures such as parental leave. 'These results show us that government policy can and does make a tangible difference in achieving the goal of true gender equity and they underscore the need for us to go further,' Ms Dent said. CEO of The Parenthood Georgie Dent called on the government to continue reforms to maintain the progress. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'We're calling on the Albanes Labor Government to build on this progress by increasing paid parental leave entitlement to 52 weeks at replacement wage, with superannuation included – bringing us in line with international best practice.' Ms Dent also called on the government to cement its promised universal childcare reforms. 'These measures will bring us closer to achieving true gender equity in Australia and in doing so will improve outcomes for children, boost workforce participation, support families and strengthen communities and our economy,' Ms Dent said. Senator Gallagher acknowledged there would still be more work to come, but insisted the result showed that the Albanese government was 'shifting the dial'. 'We know there is always more work to do, and this report will help to inform our work on gender equality over the next three years,' she said.
RNZ News
13-06-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
New Zealand falls in latest global gender equality rankings
Parity in ministerial positions dropped from 81.8 percent to 53.8percent over the past two years. Photo: 123rf New Zealand has slipped a spot in global rankings for gender equality, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). The WEF's latest Global Gender Gap Report , which benchmarks performance of individual nations across various economic and social indicators, said New Zealand maintained high standards globally, but that a downward trajectory loomed. Weaker economic opportunities and political representation for women had bumped New Zealand from fourth to fifth. The WEF report measured gender parity across four key dimensions - economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. Each dimension was assessed using various indicators and weighted accordingly. In terms of economic participation, New Zealand ranked below 70 percent for the first time since 2007. "The subindex exhibits a downward trend, despite minor fluctuations over time. There is a further decline in executive perceptions of wage equality." The report also pointed to falling political empowerment, setting back "notable progress" from 2019-23. "Parity in ministerial positions has dropped by nearly 30 percentage points, from 81.8 percent in 2023 to 53.8 percent in 2025. "Similarly, parity in Parliamentary representation now stands at 83.6 percent, down from full parity achieved in 2023." Minister for Women Nicola Grigg. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Minister for Women Nicola Grigg told RNZ that, despite the lower ranking, New Zealand remained in a strong position. "While New Zealand has dropped one place in the latest ranking, we remain in the top five globally, including maintaining first place in educational attainment. "This is a strong position, reflecting long-term commitment." The coalition government has not ruled out a mandatory pay gap reporting system, which the previous Labour government introduced in August 2023 . Cabinet has yet to make any decisions, with the focus for now on supporting businesses to build the capacity to measure and report their own gaps. If ministers were to push ahead with a mandatory pay gap reporting system, decisions would first be required around funding and resourcing the system. As such, the government has sought to ramp up data on the gap itself and its causes, Grigg said. "The gender pay gap is complex and nuanced, with around 80 percent of contributing factors being 'unexplained', like hiring bias. "That is why, last year, I launched the first-ever government-backed Gender Pay Gap Toolkit , which was designed by businesses themselves to help them address these complex issues. Since launching the calculator toolkit, we've had great engagement, with over 23,000 visits to the site." Grigg told RNZ that the government's recent pay equity changes, which changed the bargaining system, while scrapping all existing agreements and notifications, supports gender equality. "The changes will identify genuine sex-based discrimination in the workplace. New Zealand's system remains more liberal than many listed in the 2025 Gender Pay Gap Index, for example. "Having a fair-pay equity system and giving businesses resources to reduce the gender pay gap contributes towards achieving gender equality." Dame Marilyn Waring. Photo: Supplied In response to those changes, a cross-party group of female former MPs, led by Dame Marilyn Waring, formed the People's Select Committee on Pay Equity pressure group . Former equal employment opportunities commissioner and advisor to the group Saunoamaali'i Karanina Sumeo told RNZ that the changes would have come about too early to be counted in the WEF report. "The global ranking is something that makes us look great, but we've got to look underneath that," she said. "We know around 38.2 percent of households in New Zealand think that their income is either not enough or barely enough to get by - that should matter to us more." While progress had been made, Sumeo said underlying drivers of gender inequality still persisted. "I wouldn't feel comfortable that we're going to maintain it in the top five. I suspect that we're going to fall back." Sumeo said a mandatory system would be ideal and, while she hoped the government moved it forward, she wasn't holding out for it. "Unless it's mandatory, it won't go on a to-do list, so ultimately we'd like to go there, but also we need to support our businesses, so it's not a scary exercise to do and so we're all doing it for the right reason." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
UAE hires more women than ever before, posts record jump in Global Gender Equality ranking
UAE ranks sixth in Asian Women's Club rankings The UAE has emerged as a global leader in closing the gender gap, with a sharp rise in women's participation in top leadership roles, according to the World Economic Forum 's Global Gender Gap Report 2025. The Emirates climbed five spots in the global ranking, from 74th to 69th, and retained its position as the top-performing country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. This rise in gender parity is supported by LinkedIn's Economic Graph data, which shows that women's hiring into leadership roles in the UAE increased by 4.5% year-on-year, defying a global decline seen over the past year. Worldwide, the trend has reversed some of the progress made between 2015 and 2021, but the UAE is bucking the trend. UAE Among Fastest Movers Globally The report places the UAE in the 'fastest-moving' group of nations, alongside: Bangladesh Chile Ecuador Ethiopia Nicaragua Mexico Saudi Arabia These countries have demonstrated the most progress in narrowing the gender gap across economic, educational, health, and political indicators. The UAE's gender parity score is now 0.724, ahead of all other MENA countries. It is followed by: Israel Bahrain Jordan Tunisia Kuwait Saudi Arabia Oman Lebanon Morocco Egypt Algeria Iran Sudan The Political Empowerment sub-index also saw significant improvement for the UAE. With a political parity score of 37.2%, the country now ranks 32nd globally. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Eat 1 Teaspoon Every Night, See What Happens A Week Later [Video] getfittoday Undo The WEF report notes that the UAE, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Rwanda have achieved full parity in parliamentary representation, with Oman being the only country this year without any women in its national parliament. Women in UAE: More Diverse, Skilled, and AI-Ready Data from LinkedIn's Economic Graph, also featured in the report, offers more insights into what's driving the UAE's strong gender performance: Women in the UAE are up to 28% more likely than men to have multidomain professional experience, giving them a wider range of skills and greater adaptability for future jobs. They are also more likely to possess human-centric skills, such as communication, collaboration, and creativity, that AI and automation cannot replicate. Female professionals in the UAE are slightly more likely than men to focus on learning new skills and report greater confidence in using AI, based on LinkedIn's survey data from early 2025. This suggests that UAE women are not only rising in leadership roles but also preparing effectively for the evolving demands of the AI-driven economy. Long-Term Gains and Global Standing Over the 19 editions of the Global Gender Gap Report, the UAE has been one of the biggest improvers globally, alongside: Iceland Bangladesh Chile Ecuador Mexico In contrast, countries such as North Macedonia, Iran, Sweden, Kazakhstan, and Lesotho have seen the lowest overall gains in gender parity over time.
