ArmInfo. Gender inequality is unacceptable in present-day Armenia. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan stated this at a government meeting on February 27, referring to the rating of the gender equality index "Gender Gap Index 2020" of the World Economic Forum.
According to the Prime Minister, Armenia is ranked among the lowest in the world., and it is necessary to take concrete actions to improve the image of the state not only in the gender gap index, but also in the Global Competitiveness Index.
In the latest index, the prime minister recalled, the country improved its position by only one point. Nikol Pashinyan pointed to the current practice of abortion by gender on the basis of the country, considering this phenomenon unacceptable.
He also noted that most of the country's citizens are women, and their involvement in the socio-political, state and economic life of the country should be one of the priorities of the state. The Prime Minister reported on the existence of a secret document prepared several years ago by the National Security Service that the problem of women in Armenia rests on their perception, which, according to the NSS, is a national security issue. "I hope that the time will come when the document will be declassified, and you can all get acquainted with it," said the head of government, urging the Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan and the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan to pay serious attention to this issue.
In turn, Zaruhi Batoyan announced the completion of work on a national program of action for women, which both ministers will have to approve with their signatures.
In response, Arsen Torosyan emphasized that the issue of gender equality is a problem that cannot be resolved by legal acts. For this, the minister continued, it is necessary to change the culture of relations, and it will take years to solve this problem.
To recall, Armenia ranked 98th among 154 countries of the world in the ranking on the basis of gender equality "Gender Gap Index 2020" of the World Economic Forum. In a previous study for 2018, Armenia was in the same position. The index measures the level of gender gap that exists in different countries between women and men in 14 different variables in four key areas: economic participation and career opportunities, education, healthcare and survival, as well as political rights and opportunities. Among the countries of the former Soviet Union, Moldova (23rd), Belarus (29), Ukraine (59) Kazakhstan (72), Georgia (74), Russia (81), Kyrgyzstan (93), Azerbaijan (94) are ahead of Armenia. Moreover, the only country that Armenia left behind is Tajikistan (137th place). Iceland became the leader in the Global Index, followed by Norway and Finland. Outsiders are Yemen, Iraq and Pakistan. The authors of the report note that it will take 105 years to bridge the global gender gap in the world.
The Global Gender Gap Index is a global study of the World Economic Forum and the accompanying ranking of countries around the world in terms of gender equality. The gender gap is the difference between women and men, which is reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural or economic achievements or approaches.