The gender gap is the difference between women and men as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes, says Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, at the launch of its Global Gender Gap Report 2017.

The Global Gender Gap Index aims to measure this gap in four key areas: health, education, economics and politics. The gap in economics, for example, stands for the difference between men and women when it comes to salaries, the number of leaders and participation in the workplace.

Unfortunately, in 2017 it was at its highest since 2006. “Overcoming the biases – unseen or otherwise – that are keeping us from closing the gender gap represents an overwhelming economic as well as moral imperative,” Professor Schwab said.

For nine years, Iceland has been the world’s most gender-equal country, setting a trend for Nordic countries that perform especially well. Pakistan, Yemen, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Syria are at the bottom 10 out of the 144 countries scrutinized in Schwab’s report.  A research carried out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggests greater gender equality leads to better economic performance. So, it’s in our best interest to seal this gap. Curious why women still make less than men? Give this article a read.