Every year in early March, organizations around the world present data on the state of gender equality in each country in honor of International Women’s Day.

A very brief history: Begun in 1909 as National Women’s Day, the celebration followed a march for women’s rights the year prior through New York City, demanding equal economic and political rights. The day went international in 1911, joined by Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland. Today, International Women’s Day (March 8) is an official holiday in countries including Afghanistan, Armenia, Cambodia, China, Mongolia, Russia, and Ukraine. In some cultures, it holds the same significance as Mother’s Day.

The United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (U.N. Women, for short) celebrates the 20th anniversary of its Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action with a global survey, out every five years. The organization looks at three criteria when assessing policy actions and investments, according to the U.N. Women website:

Do they support women’s capabilities and their enjoyment of rights?

Do they reduce, rather than increase, women’s unpaid care work?

Do they embrace women’s equal and meaningful participation as actors, leaders, and decision-makers?

Here’s a look at their findings:





The good news: More women are in paid employment than ever. The bad: They’re still not earning equal wages to men.

“Women’s share in the labour force continues to rise and almost everywhere women are working more outside the household,” the study states, “although there has not been a parallel lightening of responsibility for unremunerated work in the household and community.” Economic pressures make dual-income parents or single working parents a necessity, and the load is landing on women’s shoulders.

Related: 16 U.S. Cities Where Women Actually Earn More Than Men