Gender Gap Index 2009:

Sri Lanka in sixteenth place

Charumini DE SILVA

Sri Lanka has reached the 16th position out of 134 countries in the Gender Gap Index 2009. The country has recorded a population growth of 0.62 percent with a total population of 20.01 million, while overall population sex ratio recorded 0.96 percent.

Sri Lanka and the Phillipines remained distinctive for being the only Asian countries among the top 20 for the fourth consecutive year.

The country is among the top twenty countries in the Gender Gap Population Index 2009.

Sri Lanka (16) falls four places in the rankings, having been outperformed by South Africa, Lesotho and Switzerland, but its overall performance in 2009 has improved relative to its performance in 2008. Sri Lanka continues to hold on in particular because of improved labour force participation and narrowing wage gaps.

The Global Gender Gap Index 2009 gives each country’s overall performance in closing the gender gap on a 0-to-1 scale and its rank out of 134 reviewed countries. Out of the 134 countries, 82 countries have fully achieved gender parity in primary enrolment, another 41 have closed between 90 percent and 99 percent of the gap and another nine countries - the majority located in sub-Saharan Africa are far below parity.