Women
Women make up approximately half (49.6%) of the world population. Although there are more women than men in the vast majority of countries, women are minorities (approximately 48% of the population) in China and India—the world's two most populous countries. Due to a sizable male-foreign labor force, many oil-producing countries in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar) feature a population heavily skewed towards males (over 1.5 times more males than females, on average).
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One in 92 women have a lifetime risk of dying as a result of childbirth. In Sub-Saharan Africa, this number increases to 1 in 26 (almost 4% of the female population). Women account for two-thirds of the adult illiterate population in the world. Approximately half of all women do not work outside of the home. In North Africa and the Middle East, this number approaches 70%. Women tend to spend twice as much time on unpaid domestic work, and, as a result, women’s total work hours are generally longer than men in all regions of the world. Among 26 developed countries, wage disparity is most prevalent in South Korea (39% gap) and Japan (28% gap). On average, only 17% of world parliamentary seats are occupied by women (this number is representative of many regions—it is not substantially different for developed or undeveloped countries). Of 192 heads of government, 11 (6%) are women compared to 181 (94%) men. Of the 500 largest world corporations, 13 (3%) feature female CEOs. One-third of countries do not have explicit laws in place against domestic violence. In those countries, nearly half the population believes that violence against women is sometimes justifiable.
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The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is a composite index that includes maternal mortality, adolescent fertility, reproductive health, parliamentary representation, educational attainment, and labor force participation. According to this index, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and the Middle East/North Africa exhibit the most gender inequality. Less developed countries tend to have the highest gender inequality. The US ranks last among 47 highly developed countries with respect to gender equality.
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In the US, on average, women earn approximately 77% of men’s annual full-time wages, with disparities being greatest for older women (e.g., 45 or older). Differences in wage earnings appear to exist even after controlling industry type, education, and level of experience. In the US, women hold 17% of the seats in congress and 24% of state legislature seats. Six out of 50 states (12%) have a female governor.
United Nations – The World’s Women 2010: Trends and Statistics
UN Entity for Gender Equality & the Empowerment of Women – Progress of the World’s Women (2011-2012)
United Nations Development Programme – Human Development Reports: Gender Inequality Index
Women’s Campaign Forum Foundation – Fast Facts about Women in Politics