WOMEN'S EQUITY STILL A DREAM?

NEW YORK, UN - According to the United Nation’s report “The World’s Women 2010,” the gender gap is gradually reducing globally but clearly lots more needs to be done
Women’s equality is still a dream in a world where there are currently 57 million more men, according to a U.N. report released here.

• “The World’s Women 2010” says women are living longer than men; enrolment of girls in primary school has increased to 86 per cent in 2007 up from 79 per cent in 1999 and around 52 per cent of women work compared with 77 per cent of men.
• But it also found that despite legislation, many pregnant women still lose their jobs and that women remain severely underrepresented in decision-making positions in parliaments, government, and the private sector, where only 13 of the world’s 500 largest corporations are led by female CEOs.
• The report was released on Wednesday on the first U.N. World Statistics Day, established to pay tribute to statisticians around the world.
• In an introduction, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the report “is intended to contribute to the stocktaking being done to mark the 15 anniversary of the Beijing conference” on women where 189 nations adopted a platform to achieve equality for women.
• Despite progress on several fronts, Mr. Ban said the report “makes clear that much more needs to be done, in particular to close the gender gap in public life and to prevent the many forms of violence to which women are subjected.”