4. Gender Equality
UN Ranking: 5
WEF Ranking: 7
Average Score: 6
The Gender Equality seems to be one of the biggest problems in the world that can be solved with inventions. The late Christopher Hitchens was an outspoken proponent of empowering women, claiming it was the one surefire way to improve a country’s standard of living. Many economists agree, stating that a thriving economic model requires the full participation of both sexes, which is only possible as the gender equality gap shrinks. However, it’s not shrinking fast enough globally. In fact, the Global Gender Gap Report’s figures show that not a lot of progress has been made globally in the past decade, with the average female’s annual earnings being only a little over half of what men’s was in 2015, nearly identical to 2006. A combination of raising awareness and improving women’s access to education and healthcare will help, as will greater religious freedom, a lack of which plagues many Middle Eastern countries and keeps women there subjugated and subservient.
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