Norway has topped a league of countries in closing the gender gap,followed by three other Nordic nations, a survey by the World EconomicForum says.
Progress in political, education and economic spheres has occurred globally but the gap in health has widened.
The UK fell in the ranking while France rose helped by women’s political role.
The forum said more women at the top of financial institutionsand government and was “vital” to finding solutions to the economicturmoil.
“Greater representation of women in seniorleadership positions within governments and financial institutions isvital not only to find solutions to the current economic turmoil but tostave off such crises in future,” said Klaus Schwab, founder andexecutive chairman of the forum.
“While this does not imply causality, the possible theoreticalunderpinnings of this link are clear: countries that do not fullycapitalize effectively on one-half of their human resources run therisk of undermining their competitive potential”.