New rankings shed light on gender equality in the Netherlands

Recent reports show contradicting developments in regards to gender equality in the Netherlands.

Drop in Global Gender Gap Report

The new rankings for the Global Gender Gap Report 2016, compiled by the World Economic Forum, show that the Netherlands has dropped three places, from rank 13 to 16. This is the first time since 2010 that the Netherlands was not in the top 15.

Expected causes for this drop, besides improvements in other countries, is that more Dutch women work part-time, are unemployed or make less than their male counterparts in comparable functions.

The three countries that claimed spots right above the Netherlands are Burundi, Namibia and South Africa. The top three places are occupied by Iceland, Norway and Sweden.

The research looked into the differences between men and women in regards to education, political empowerment, economic participation and health.

Fourth in Girl's Opportunity Index

While the Netherlands seems to be lagging in gender equality for adult women, the country took an impressive fourth place in the Girls' Opportunity Index, presented by nonprofit organisation Save the Children.

This index looks into subjects like child marriage, adolescent fertility, maternal mortality, female representation in parliament or congress, and lower-secondary school completion.

Interestingly, the state of girls' opportunities does not seem to correlate directly with the income bracket of the respective country. For instance the U.S., whose income bracket is comparatively high, is currently ranked 32nd.
 

Sources: reports.weforum.org, Dutchnews, NOS, Save The Children, fortune.com