International Women’s Day Monday, March 9, 2009 - 17:02

As International Women's Day - celebrated yearly on 8 March - marked the start of hundreds of activities across the globe, Britain is failing to bridge the gender gap and ranks just 81st out of 130 countries on equal-pay.

The month-long activities celebrating the roles and contributions women make in a myriad ways to their families, communities and countries, also highlight the progress made in working towards gender equality.

However, concerns and challenges are raised relating to figures from 2008 showing that the UK has fallen lower down the world league table on gender equality for the third year running. It now ranks:

• 81st out of 130 countries for wage equality
• 42nd in terms of overall economic participation - which covers wages, earnings and the proportion of senior managers and professionals
• 13th in terms of women's pay and work opportunities, political power, health and education.

Jan Eldred, Associate Director (International) at NIACE, said:

"International Women's Day is a wonderful celebration of the roles and contributions of women, yet the global figures relating to gender equality remain stark. Out of the 774million people in the world who cannot read and write over half of them are women and of the 100million children who do not have access to education the majority are girls. In industrialised nations, women are losing their jobs at a much faster rate than men and the UK is ranked just 81st out of 130 countries in terms of wage equality."

"This week Gordon Brown will host a meeting of world leaders to discuss the impact of the credit crisis on the one billion poorest people of the world. We must advocate support for the women of the world and the role education can play in emancipating and empowering them."