Story perspectives

Global Gender Gaps: Australia Leads, South Africa Struggles

9/10/2025

Summary

Story summary

Australia established a Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce in 2022, boosting its Global Gender Gap Index ranking to 13th in 2025.
South Africa's gender policies aim to address historical inequalities, with women's labor force participation at 35.4% in 2022, versus 59.1% in Australia.
The 2023 Gender Social Norms Index shows 97.3% of South Africans exhibit at least one gender bias, hindering policy effectiveness.
Eritrea faces a gender wage gap due to societal norms and limited women's decision-making roles, despite equality-promoting policies.
Women's educational enrollment in Eritrea is improving, with 49% of 2023 Secondary Certificate Examination students being female.

History

Historical Context

The 1979 adoption of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women marked a pivotal moment in the global fight for gender equality. This led countries like Australia to implement policies that increased women's labor force participation to 59.1% by 2022. However, South Africa's current rate of 35.4% reveals ongoing challenges in achieving true gender parity.

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Story summary

Australia established a Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce in 2022, boosting its Global Gender Gap Index ranking to 13th in 2025.
South Africa's gender policies aim to address historical inequalities, with women's labor force participation at 35.4% in 2022, versus 59.1% in Australia.
The 2023 Gender Social Norms Index shows 97.3% of South Africans exhibit at least one gender bias, hindering policy effectiveness.
Eritrea faces a gender wage gap due to societal norms and limited women's decision-making roles, despite equality-promoting policies.
Women's educational enrollment in Eritrea is improving, with 49% of 2023 Secondary Certificate Examination students being female.

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