Index Shows Little Progress in Gender Equity

Cambodia has made almost no progress over the past six years when it comes to gender equality, and is still the lowest-ranked country in the region, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2012 Gender Gap Index. Ranked 103 out of 135 countries surveyed, Cambodia placed last in the region and came in the bottom half of low-income nations, according to the index, which since 2006 has scored countries according to male-to-female ratios in four areas: economic participation, educational attainment, health and political empowerment. … The country’s poor performance in the area of political empowerment is due to a decrease of women in ministerial positions, according to the index, with females holding 10 percent of minister-level offices in 2011 and just 5 percent in 2012. … Ros Sophea, executive director of the Gender and Development Organization of Cambodia, said yesterday that Cambodia’s lack of progress when it comes gender inequality in business and politics was in part because most women’s NGOs focus mainly on sexual and domestic violence. …

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