On Women’s Day, world reflects on reaching gender equality

Of 145 nations, Iceland has come closest in the realms of economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment, according to 2015 data from the World Economic Forum.

[...] in Yemen, the country that ranks lowest by the same data, women are considered only half a witness in court cases and are forbidden to leave the house without their husbands’ permission.

About two-thirds of countries in the developing world have achieved gender equality in primary education, according to U.N. data, but the progress is less substantial at the secondary school level.

If women were to play an identical role in labor markets to that of men, as much as $28 trillion, or 26 percent, could be added to global annual gross domestic product by 2025, according to a September 2015 study by McKinsey Global Institute.

Honor killings, the traditional practice that allows the slaying of a family member who is believed to have brought dishonor on a family, claim thousands of women’s lives every year in South and Central Asia.

Some communities in Ghana practice the tradition of “gifting” young girls to priests to atone for crimes, typically committed by a male family member, or to show gratitude for a blessing.