Women ...a work never done

How women fare across different sectors of society

A CENTURY ago, women were scarcely allowed to vote, let alone stand for election. Today women hold seats in parliaments across the world, and in one case are even in a majority. This is one of many achievements that will be celebrated on March 8th 2011, which marks the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day. Policies and quotas have helped women in politics and in business. In Norway, women make up nearly 40% of board members of the largest listed companies. Yet on average across Europe they only occupy one in every ten board seats. This may improve, with more women than ever now in the global business-school pipeline. In 2010, nearly 106,000 women sat the GMAT exam, an MBA entrance exam, accounting for over 40% of examinees. In the OECD, a club of mostly rich countries, 61% of women are active in the labour force. But the difference in male and female employment rates in many countries is still large and persistent. While progress has been made, there is a long way to go before gender equality is reached.