It's not news that women are at the heart of the travel industry. The World Travel & Tourism Council published data in 2019 showing that women represent 54 per cent of travel's 300million+ workers globally - that's higher than women are represented overall in world economies.
Furthermore, a travel advisor demographic report published in 2022 reveals that a whopping 80 per cent of agents are women.
That makes it dis-heartening to see new stats from the World Economic Forum that women worldwide are not expected to achieve gender parity with men until 2154.
According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2023, the overall gender gap, which measures equality across the realms of the economy, politics, health, and education, has only closed by a marginal 0.3 per cent compared to the previous year.
The report's findings emphasize the urgent need for renewed and concerted action, as the gaps are widening in certain areas, particularly the economy.
Saadia Zahidi, managing director at the WEF, expressed concern over the "tepid progress" and the declining parity. She highlighted the setbacks caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted education and participation in the workforce for women and girls. Additionally, economic and geopolitical crises have further impeded the progress towards gender equality.
The WEF's Gender Gap Index, which assesses gender parity in 146 countries, shows an overall improvement of just over 4 percentage points since its inception in 2006.
While the report indicates some advancements in education, health, and political empowerment for women, it raises alarms about a potential "post-pandemic crisis," with Covid actually turning the clock back for many women in the workforce. This has far-reaching consequences for the global economy.
The report estimates that achieving global economic parity now will take a staggering 169 years.
It's not just about progress - or regression - in developing countries. For example, the United States experienced a decline in its overall rankings, dropping from 27th place last year to 43rd this year, with a parity score of 74.8 per cent.
The report underscores the importance of accelerating progress towards gender parity, not only for the benefit of women and girls but also to stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and enhance societal resilience.
