While women around the world continue to enter the workforce at greater rates, much remains to be done to achieve full equality, especially when it comes to politics. Which of these countries has the greatest proportion of women in Cabinet-level positions?
A. Chile
B. South Africa
C. Spain
D. Finland
D. Finland is correct.
Northern Europe leads the world in women serving as government ministers, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In Finland, 58 percent of Cabinet members are female, the highest proportion in the world. In Norway, 56 percent are women, and in Sweden, 48 percent are female.
Chile's president, Michelle Bachelet, unveiled a Cabinet made up of an equal number of women and men in 2006. However, as of last January, just nine of the 22 positions were held by women. South Africa's Cabinet of 29 ministers has 13 women.
In April 2008, Spain's prime minister, José Zapatero, announced a 17-member Cabinet that for the first time has a female majority: nine women and eight men. The number of female ministers is under 30 percent for several other European countries.
The Globalist Quiz is produced by The Globalist, a Washington research organization that promotes awareness of world affairs. © 2008 The Globalist, theglobalist.com.
