Gender equality in PH lauded

Sen. Loren Legarda. RICHARD A. REYES/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Senator Loren Legarda commended on Monday the country’s consistent high ranking in the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Global Gender Gap Report, saying this showed the government’s “significant efforts” to address gender discrimination and inequality.

The WEF’s Global Gender Gap Report 2016 showed the Philippines closing nearly 79 percent of its gender gap, ranking first in Asia and seventh worldwide among 144 countries.

“The country’s high gender gap ranking is proof of the significant efforts being undertaken by the government to address gender discrimination and inequality,” Legarda said in a statement.

“We have proven once again that our laws are effective if we know how to make them work. We just have to sustain our gains by ensuring strict implementation of our laws,” she added.

The senator is the principal author of laws on women’s rights protection such as the Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act, the Magna Carta of Women, and the Anti-Trafficking Persons Act and its expanded version.

Legarda said the Global Gender Gap Index ranks 144 countries on the gap between women and men on health, education, economic and political indicators. The highest possible score is 1 (equality) and the lowest possible score is 0 (inequality).

This year, she said, the Philippines scored a perfect 1 in terms of educational attainment and the health and survival indicators. It scored 0.78 in the economic participation and opportunity indicator and only 0.386 in the political empowerment indicator.

“I hope that our status will not lull us into a false sense of complacency,” said the senator.

“We should narrow the gender gap in most types of political and economic participation through public awareness campaigns and continuous coordination and collaboration with key stakeholders.”

Legarda explained that the Global Gender Gap Index aims to understand whether countries are distributing their resources and opportunities equitably between women and men, irrespective of their overall income levels. Globally, Iceland remained on top of the Index, followed by Finland, Norway, Sweden, Rwanda and Ireland. IDL/.rga

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