Here are some intriguing facts that shed light on the current standing of women globally, showcasing both their remarkable achievements and ongoing challenges. Understanding these insights will provide a clearer picture of where women excel and where improvements are still needed.
Across the world, many countries have made significant strides in advancing women’s rights and opportunities, creating environments where women can thrive and achieve great success. However, numerous regions still grapple with inequality and discrimination, highlighting the need for continued advocacy and reform. By focusing on the positive advancements and working towards eliminating disparities, we can foster a world where women are empowered to reach their full potential and live fulfilling lives. Let’s celebrate the progress that has been made and commit to creating a more equitable and supportive environment for women everywhere.
Here are some facts that illustrate the current state of women’s status and achievements globally:
- Women constitute about 49.6% of the world’s population, which translates to approximately 4.1 billion women out of a total global population of around 8.2 billion. This nearly equal distribution reflects the balance between the number of men and women worldwide.
- Hey Woman, it’s a long journey for you, at the current rate of progress it will take 134 years to reach full parity in 2158 – which is roughly five generations from now, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024.
- On average, women live about five years longer than men, with a global life expectancy of approximately 75 years for women compared to 70 years for men, influenced by biological, environmental, and lifestyle factors. In some countries, such as Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine, the gap exceeds 10 years.
- India has the largest number of women in the world, with approximately 670 million women out of its population of over 1.4 billion, making it the country with the highest female population in absolute terms.
- Countries that consistently rank highly in global gender equality indices and are noted for their strong support of women’s rights include Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Norway, which offer extensive legal rights, social freedoms, and economic opportunities for women.
- The highest recorded IQ scores belong to women, with Marilyn vos Savant having an IQ of 228 and Kim Ung-Yong having an IQ of 210, both of whom have demonstrated extraordinary intellectual abilities.
- Girls’ brains generally mature about two years earlier than boys’, influencing various cognitive and emotional developmental aspects throughout adolescence.
- Only about 0.5% of women are colorblind, compared to 8% of men. Colorblindness is more common in men than in women because of how X chromosomes work. The genes that control color vision are found on the X chromosome. Men have one X chromosome and one Y chromosome. If the X chromosome has a faulty gene for color vision, they will be colorblind because there’s no second X chromosome to provide a backup. Women have two X chromosomes. If one X chromosome has a faulty gene, the other X can still provide normal color vision, so women are less likely to be colorblind. Women can carry a faulty gene on one of their X chromosomes and pass it to their children. If they pass it to their sons, the sons might be colorblind because they only have one X chromosome.
- Ada Lovelace is considered the first computer programmer for her work in the 1800s. Lovelace wrote the first algorithm for a machine, including the concept of looping, which repeats a series of instructions.
- Nujood Ali, a Yemeni girl who was only 10 years old when she successfully obtained a divorce from her forced marriage, making her the youngest known person to be divorced at that age. You can read her story in her book “I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced”.
- Zeng Jinlian, from China, was the tallest woman in recorded history, standing at an astonishing 8 feet 1¾ inches tall.
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), as of the end of 2023, approximately 39.9 million people globally were living with HIV. Among them, around 20.5 million are women aged 15 and older.
- Despite significant advancements in gender equality, a substantial pay gap between men and women persists, with women earning nearly 20% less than men for comparable work, reflecting deep-seated disparities across sectors and industries.
- Countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have the highest average fertility rate globally, with an average of 4.6 children per woman. Leading this trend is Niger, with the highest fertility rate at 6.7 children per woman. Following Niger are Angola at 5.8, the Democratic Republic of Congo at 5.6, Mali at 5.5, and Benin at 5.4.
- As per Qualtrics the world average for women’s workforce participation in 2022 was 39.49%, with Armenia having the highest percentage at 52.76% and Yemen the lowest at 8.07%.
- Every 90 seconds, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth worldwide, underscoring the need for improved maternal healthcare.
- Women earn more than 60% of all college degrees in the United States, demonstrating a strong presence in higher education despite barriers to equal professional opportunities.
- Although male brains are 9% larger than female brains, both have the same number of brain cells, with women’s brain cells packed more densely.
- The nearer a mother lives to the equator, the more likely she is to give birth to a baby girl as opposed to a baby boy.
- Women tend to live longer than men in most societies. In 2021, the average life expectancy for women was 79 years, compared to 73 years for men. In 2010 women were projected to live 4.8 years longer than men. By 2021 this gap widened to 5.8 years.
- Women generally dream more often and have a better recall of their dreams compared to men. According to a study by the University of the West of England in Bristol, women report having more nightmares than men. Over a 5-year period, 34% of women said they had nightmares, while only 19% of men did. Additionally, women tend to experience more emotional dreams and frequently revisit past traumatic events in their sleep.
- The U.S. is the only high-income country that does not guarantee paid leave to mothers after childbirth, whereas Estonia comes on top offering more than 87 weeks of paid parental leave.
- Women around the world work an average of 39 days more per year than men, which breaks down to about 50 minutes more per day.
- In 16th-century France, women could charge their husbands with impotence as a reason for divorce, with convicted husbands required to prove themselves in a public trial.
- Because of the high production of estrogen during puberty, girls’ brains generally mature two years earlier than boys’.
- According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in three women worldwide has experienced physical or sexual violence in their lifetime, often by an intimate partner.
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is responsible for 35% of deaths in women each year – more than ALL cancers combined. It can affect women of any age.
- Globally, women have made significant strides in education; however, women make up more than two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate people.
- Louann Brizendine, M.D., a neuropsychiatrist, claimed in her book “The Female Brain” that women speak approximately 20,000 words per day, while men speak around 7,000 words per day. This claim has often been cited to support the stereotype that women talk three times as much as men. However, it is important to note that this statistic has faced significant criticism from researchers, as multiple studies have found little to no difference in the average number of words spoken daily by men and women.
Subsequent research indicates that both genders speak roughly the same amount, about 16,000 words per day on average.
- The average woman cries between 30 and 64 times a year, and the average man cries between 6 and 17 times a year.
- Women’s hearts are smaller and beat faster than men’s. Their arteries are narrower, which leads to a higher heart rate.The average resting heart rate for adult women is between 78 to 82 beats per minute, while for adult men, it typically ranges from 70 to 72 beats per minute. This means women generally have a heart rate that is 5 to 10 beats per minute faster than men. So, next time you tell a woman, “My heart beats faster whenever I see you,” remember that her heart might already be beating faster than yours – just as a matter of biology!
- A survey commissioned by a British clothing retailer in 2013 suggested that women spend around 17 minutes each day choosing outfits, which could add up to approximately a year over a lifetime. While it’s a fun and relatable statistic, it’s not a scientifically validated fact. The actual time a person spends deciding what to wear can vary greatly depending on individual habits, lifestyle, and cultural factors.
- The record for the most children born to a single woman is attributed to a Russian woman named Valentina Vassilyeva. Between 1725 and 1765, she reportedly gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets, resulting in a total of 69 children.
- Studies have shown that spontaneous blink rates are generally higher in women compared to men, with women blinking approximately 19 times per minute versus 11 times per minute in men. Additionally, older women tend to blink more frequently than their younger counterparts.
- In 2020, nearly 800 women died daily from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth, translating to a maternal death almost every two minutes. Despite a 34% global reduction in the maternal mortality ratio between 2000 and 2020, almost 95% of these deaths occurred in low and lower-middle-income countries.
- Women are significantly underrepresented in top management roles within U.S. companies. According to Catalyst’s latest report, women held only 41 CEO positions, or 8.2% of the total, at S&P 500 companies in 2023.
- According to available data, approximately 28% of managerial positions worldwide are currently held by women, highlighting the significant underrepresentation of women in leadership roles globally.
- According to research from the McKinsey Global Institute, achieving gender equality could potentially add $12 trillion to the global GDP by 2025, highlighting the significant economic benefits of closing the gender gap in the workforce.
- Over a 70-year lifespan, the amount of lipstick ingested by women can vary significantly. With an average daily usage of 24 mg, the total lifetime consumption could reach approximately 1.35 pounds. On the higher end, with a daily use of 87 mg, this could escalate to about 4.90 pounds. These estimates illustrate the substantial quantity of lipstick that may be ingested over a lifetime, highlighting both the extent of its use and potential exposure to numerous harmful chemicals used in production.
- According to a 2016 study by Marks & Spencer, women spend an average of 17 minutes each morning choosing an outfit, which adds up to about six months of their working lives. In comparison, men spend about four months of their working lives choosing what to wear, which is about 13 minutes per day.
- Women have more taste buds and are generally more sensitive to tastes. Also increased sensitivity (averaging five orders of magnitude) was observed among females of reproductive age.
- Women are better at identifying facial emotional expressions than men. Specifically women of early-college age have the ability to better identify facial emotional expressions than men at this age level.
- According to studies, women generally take longer to digest food than men, with an average digestion time of around 47 hours for women compared to 33 hours for men; this is primarily attributed to factors like smaller stomach size and lower stomach acid production in women compared to men.
- According to research, shorter mothers generally tend to deliver babies at earlier gestational ages, with lower birth weights and shorter lengths compared to babies born to taller mothers. While the exact reason for this association is not fully understood, it is believed to be related to factors like uterine size and nutrient availability during pregnancy.
- Women generally have a better ability to remember faces than men, largely because they tend to analyze and scan facial features more thoroughly, resulting in a richer and more detailed memory compared to men, explains Jennifer Heisz, a research fellow at the Rotman Institute at Baycrest Health Sciences.
By acknowledging these facts and recognizing the areas of progress and need, we can work together to create a future where women on earth have the opportunity to excel, contribute, and enjoy a world of equality and respect. Womenself #BeYourselfMore
