The Global Gender Gap report is an annual insight research carried out by the World Economic Forum. This tool illustrates vital gender-based indicators to determine the performance of each of the selected 144 countries.
Among those indicators are the economic participation and opportunity, health and educational attainment, political empowerment, workforce, skill sets, and educational degrees.
Here are the rankings of the Middle Eastern countries for 2017:
1. Tunisia
Tunisia recorded an overall rank of 117 with a total score of 0.651. The report revealed improved gender parity in ministerial positions, health, and basic literacy.
2. United Arab Emirates
The UAE stood at 120 with a score of 0.649. Just as Tunisia, the country's gender parity has been improving steadily. The UAE came very close to fully diminishing its gap on the Educational Attainment sub-index.
3. Bahrain
Bahrain ranked at 126 and scored a total of 0.632 on all indexes. Its most noticeable increase is accumulated in its earned income data.
4. Algeria
Algeria ranked at 127 (0.629) due to the widening of the political empowerment gap. However, the country is recording improvements in wage equality and gender parity.
4. Kuwait
Kuwait ranked at 129 with an overall score of 0.628 due to deteriorating wage equality and women's share of estimated earned income.
5. Qatar
Qatar ranked at 130 (0.626) were women are recording progress in professional and technical roles in several sectors. Qatar is also narrowing the Educational Attainment sub-index, unlike its wage equality and estimated earned income indicators.
6. Turkey
Turkey was ranked 131 (0.625) based on a performance that is somewhat similar to Qatar's, but with less emphasis on Political Empowerment and Health and Survival sub-indexes.
7. Egypt
The country is standing at 134 (0.608). The Gender Gap report revealed Egypt's notable drop in wage equality for similar work but also recorded an increase in gender parity in tertiary enrollment.
8. Jordan
Jordan, Morocco, and Lebanon have consecutive rankings, beginning with Jordan at 135 (0.604).
The three countries share similar improvements on closing their gender gap in the labor force and also witnessed a decline in the Political Empowerment sub-index.
11. Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia was ranked 138 (0.584), which is the result of a drop in wage equality and women's share of estimated income.
However, it has recorded the Middle East's largest improvement in the overall index over the past decade and the fifth-most improved in the world on Educational Attainment.
12. Iran
Iran came in at 140 (0.583). The country's progress in Educational Attainment, Health, and Survival sub-indexes saw a notable decline.
13. Syria
Syria, Pakistan, and Yemen continue to score the world's bottom three rankings, with Syria at 142 (0.568).
14. Yemen
Just like Syria, Yemen, which scored 144 (0.516), particularly suffers from a low Economic Participation and Opportunity sub-index.