Barbados continues to lead the Caribbean, being closest to achieving full gender equality, with a slight improvement in its ranking in the Global Gender Gap Report (GGGR).

The report, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on March 30, found that Barbados climbed one place from its 2020 ranking to 27th out of 156 countries.

Jamaica, also improving on its 2020 placement, is ranked 40th in the world and fourth overall within the Caribbean.

In its statement on the report, the WEF noted that no country has achieved full gender equality and that gains made over the decades toward gender parity have all but eroded due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“Preliminary evidence suggests that the health emergency and the related economic downturn have impacted women more severely than men, partially re-opening gaps that had already been closed,” the report concluded.

The GGGR, judging based on four key criteria—economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment—found that the results varied greatly.

The report noted that, politically, women remain critically underrepresented, with less than a quarter of the distance between their male counterparts closed.

“Across the 156 countries covered by the index, women represent only 26.1 per cent of some 35,500 parliament seats and just 22.6 per cent of over 3,400 ministers worldwide. In 81 countries, there has never been a woman head of state, as of January 15,” the report continued.

Economic participation and opportunity also demand attention, according to this year’s index, as results indicated that only 58 per cent of the parity gap has been closed so far.

The report and its corresponding index, which measures the average distance completed to gender parity, provides a tool for cross-country comparison and to prioritise the most effective policies needed to close gender gaps.

From a global perspective, however, there is much ground left to cover as the 2021 average distance completed to parity is at 68 per cent, a step back compared to 2020.

These figures, the WEF continued, were mainly driven by a decline in large-country performances.

On its current trajectory, it will now take 135.6 years to close the gender gap worldwide, the international organisation contended.

Latin America and the Caribbean still ranks as the third-most progressive region towards gender parity, being 72.1 per cent complete with efforts behind Western Europe (77.6 per cent) and North America (at 76.4 per cent).

At its current rate, the WEF contended that gender gaps could be potentially closed in Latin America and the Caribbean in 68.9 years.

Iceland returned atop the GGGR rankings for the 12th year running, and Afghanistan, joining the index for the first time in its 19-year history, is ranked 156th.

See full Latin America and Caribbean rankings in the 2021 WEF Global Gender Gap Report below: