Tag Archives: women

The Gender Gap in Science by Country

The number of women researchers is small compared to that of men globally. Researchers are professionals who are engaged in the creation of new knowledge, technologies, or products.

The map above shows the number of women as a share of total researchers by country. It is interesting to note that countries like Bolivia and Burma, both developing nations, show the highest ratio of female researchers compared to the total in each country. Since the data used here is based on headcounts of people employed in R&D full time and part time, I would take this results with caution considering that the total number of researches in these countries could be very low to begin with, and the results, therefore, not very solid.

In the same manner, the percentage of women researchers for Latin America and the Caribbean as a share of the total is the highest in the world, higher than the number for developed nations (45.2% according to this study) which seems counter-intuitive.

Source: UNESCO Institute of Statistics: Women in Science – The Gender Gap in Science

Women’s Earnings by State

Comparing the median earnings of full-time employed women to the median earnings of full-time employed men in the U.S., we can see there is still a gender pay gap, where women earn 77 cents per each dollar earned by their white male counterparts. This number has remained unchanged for the last ten years.

In some states women earn slightly more. That is the case for the states of Nevada (84 cents per dollar), California, Vermont, and New York. On the other side of the spectrum, there are states where women earn much less than the median. That is the case of Wyoming (64 cent per dollar), and Louisiana (67 cents per dollar).

Source: Forbes: The Geography Of The Gender Pay Gap: Women’s Earnings By State

Violence Against Women by World Region

In this chart published by The Economist we look at two sets of data about violence against women.

The first one shows that more than a third (39%) of homicides of women around the world are committed by a previous or current partner. The numbers are specially shocking for South East Asia (Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar [Burma], Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, East Timor, Indonesia, Philippines, and Singapore). The numbers are also high for Latin American and African countries.

The second set of data shows that 30% of women around the world have experienced physical or sexual violence during their lifetime by a former or current partner. The numbers are the highest for Central African countries (Burundi, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Rwanda), followed by countries in West Africa (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, etc.), South Asia (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka), the Andean region of South America (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia), the Middle East, and North Africa.

U.S. Abortion Laws by State

Most states (in orange) ban abortions during the last trimester of pregnancy when the fetus is already viable outside the womb.

However, since the state of Nebraska passed the most restrictive abortion law in a decade back in 2010 banning abortions after 20 weeks, 12 other states have passed similar laws as of March 2013. States that have passed even more restrictive abortion laws include North Dakota, that bans abortions afters 6 weeks of pregnancy, and Arkansas that bans abortions after 12 weeks.

For the interactive map, please visit: The Washington Post: The landscape of abortion bans, in one must-see map

HIV Infection Rates Among Sex Workers by Country

The United States increased its funding to fight AIDS globally ten years ago. But, to qualify for funding, NGO’s had to enforce an explicit policy against prostitution. Female sex workers are 13.5 times more likely to have contracted the HIV virus, but because of the enforced anti-prostitution policy, female sex workers do not qualify to receive treatment.

This visualization by The Nation shows the rate of HIV infection among sex workers around the world. The highest rates of HIV infection are in Africa, with Swaziland at an staggering 70%.

Cervical Cancer and the HPV Vaccine in Developing Countries

An estimated 275,000 women die of cervical cancer every year, with the majority of these deaths occurring in developing nations. Those deaths could be easily avoided by vaccinating women with the HPV vaccine.

Due to the high cost of the HPV vaccine, $100 per dose in developed nations, many women and girls in poor countries did not have access to it. Thanks to the GAVI Alliance, a partnership funded by governments as well as by corporate and private partners, this vaccine will be available in developing nations at a cost of $4.50 per dose. African countries soon beginning vaccination include Kenya, Ghana, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Malawi, Niger, Sierra Leone, and Tanzania.

Source: GAVI Alliance: Millions of girls in developing countries to be protected against cervical cancer thanks to new HPV vaccine deals

Women in the Workforce by Country

It has been said, that if women participated in the workforce more actively, like their male counterparts, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of those countries would be higher.

However, most countries, including some developed nations do not have policies in place that support women’s participation in the workforce, such as access to education, credit, employment, paid maternity leave or child care.

Countries with the highest economic success for women (measured in terms of equality of pay, degree of inclusion in the workforce, and career advancement), that offer the best policies for supporting women in the workforce include Norway, Australia, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Belgium, and Iceland.

Countries with the lowest degree of economic success that have few policies (or none) that support women in the workplace include Chad, Sudan, Yemen, Pakistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, among others.

Some interesting facts about the success of women in the workplace and the policies in place to support them in certain countries can be seen in the graphic above.

Source: Harvard Business Review: Vision Statement: Women and the Economics of Equality

Cancer Death Rates for Men and Women

Cancer affects both women and men globally. However, cancer death rates are different for each gender, as can be seen in the two maps displayed in this article.

We find the highest cancer death rates for women (126 or more per 100,000 population) in Mongolia, Denmark, Albania, Macedonia, Uganda, and Honduras.

The cancer death rate for men is the highest (150 per 100,000 people) in most parts of the world, compared to women. Countries with high death rates for males include most European countries, Middle Eastern nations, Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, China, Japan, South and North Korea, Turkey, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, and Cuba. Other countries with high death rates for males (126 or above per 100,000 people) include the United States, Canada, Brazil, and Australia.

We can only speculate about the factor behind this disparity in numbers of cancer death rates for men and women worldwide.

For detailed information, please visit:

Expected Years of Schooling for Females Worldwide

The expected years of schooling for females varies from country to country.

Developed nations such as the United States, Canada, the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Iceland, Australia, New Zealand, etc., show the highest number of expected years of schooling (15 to 21 years) for girls. Other nations in this group include Argentina, Uruguay, Kazakhstan, Libya, and South Korea.

On the other hand, countries with the lowest number of expected years of schooling (0 to 8 years) for females include most African countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Yemen, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Papua New Guinea.

Resource: The World Bank DataBank: Gender Statistics – Expected years of schooling for females

Life Expectancy at Birth for Women

Life expectancy at birth, for women, varies significantly across the world.

On one side of the spectrum, we find nations where the life expectancy at birth for females is 80.5 years or more. Countries in this group include the United States, Canada, Chile, several developed nations in Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea.

On the other side, we find nations where the life expectancy at birth for females is much lower, 62.0 years or less. This group is comprised by the majority of African countries, with the exception of North African nations, and Afghanistan.

Resource: The World Bank DataBank: Gender Statistics – Life expectancy at birth, female (years)

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