Gender gap growing in Netherlands; Drops to 43rd place on WEF ranking
The gender gap in the Netherlands is widening, according to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual ranking. The Netherlands dropped 15 places in the ranking this year and is now in 43rd place of the 148 countries on the list.
According to the WEF, the Netherlands’ gap between men and women is 75.6 percent closed this year. Last year, it was 77.5 percent closed, so the gap is widening.
The WEF scored each country on four indicators to assess the gender gap. The Netherlands only scored well on one indicator - educational attainment. On this indicator, there is no gap between men and women in the Netherlands, and the country is ranked first in the world.
But the scores on the other indicators are less stellar. The Netherlands dropped ten spots in the ranking for political empowerment. According to the researchers, women lost significant ground in Dutch politics in the past year. In 2024, the Netherlands ranked 23rd in the world, with the political gap being 44.3 percent closed. This year, that gap widened to only 36.6 percent closed, dropping the Netherlands to 33rd in the ranking.
The Netherlands ranked even worse for economic participation (74th) and health and survival (121st). Both are the same as last year, with very little improvement on either indicator.
Iceland led the ranking for the 16th consecutive year. The gap between men and women in the country is 92.6 percent closed. Finland came second (87.9 percent) and Norway (83.6 percent) third. The top ten also includes the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Sweden, Moldova, Namibia, Germany, and Ireland.
On average, the gap between men and women in the world is 68.9 percent closed, slightly better than last year. At this rate, it will take another 123 years to achieve global equity, according to an estimate by the University of Amsterdam, which collected the Dutch data for the ranking.
