Azernews.Az

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has rated Azerbaijan 90th among 134 countries on gender equality in its 2009 report.
The country ranked 59th in 2007 and 61st in 2008 in the Global Gender Gap Report, which assesses the rights and opportunities of men compared to women in countries worldwide.
Azerbaijan received 0.663 points on four fundamental categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, political empowerment and health and survival.
Zero points implies absolute inequality, while 1 point indicates full equality between the two sexes. If the figure exceeds 1, it means women enjoy more rights and men face inequality.
According to statistics in the WEF report, Azerbaijan has a population of 8,560,000, and there are 94 men per 100 women in the country. Women`s average marrying age is 24.
Economic participation and opportunity was the primary criterion in the report. Azerbaijan ranked 32nd of all counties rated on women`s involvement; 14th on the difference in pay between men and women; 31st on women`s share in per capita income; and 118th on the opportunities for women holding posts.
Remarkably, Azerbaijan topped global rankings on the ratio of women workers commanding special knowledge and technical skills, with 53 out of 100 such professionals being females.
On educational opportunities, Azerbaijani women ranked 60th in the level of literacy.
Women account for 87 percent of teachers in Azerbaijan`s elementary schools, 66 percent in middle school grades and 40 percent in higher educational institutions.
The WEF rated Azerbaijan 132nd on healthcare opportunities for women compared to men.
As for women`s representation in politics, the country was rated 119th among 134 countries.
The WEF rating was topped by Iceland, Finland, Norway, and Sweden.
Among former Soviet republics, Belarus ranked 34th, while Moldova 36th, Kyrgyzstan 41st, Kazakhstan 47th, Russia 51st, Uzbekistan 58th, Ukraine 61st, Georgia 84th, and Tajikistan 87th.
Armenia ranked a grade below Azerbaijan, standing 91st. Other neighbors of Azerbaijan - Iran and Turkey - were rated 128th and 129th respectively.
The Gender Gap Index 2009 is the result of collaboration with faculty at Harvard University and University of California at Berkeley.