The UK no longer ranks in the top 20 for gender equality. Fact. Miserable fact.
 
The World Economic Forum’s annual Global Gender Gap Report quantifies the magnitude of gender-based disparities and tracks their progress over time. This year’s report places the UK at number 26 (we’ve dropped eight places since last year), our lowest score since 2008.
 
It doesn't sound anything like progress, does it? Because it categorically isn’t. It’s an equality regression.
 
The report covered four categories – economy, education, health and politics. Gender equality issues pertaining to the UK’s ‘economic participation’ (ratios of women in the workplace, numbers of women in senior roles and wage equality) dragged our overall score down. Yes, there are more women in the workplace but they aren’t in senior roles and the pay gap isn’t closing, wages for women in the UK fell by £2,700 this year.
 
The release of the report coincides with more depressing news. A BBC sports study has found that men get more prize money than women in 30% of sports. And the disparity in prize money is eye-wateringly huge. Thinking of ski jumping professionally? Expect to receive £2,000 where your male counterpart will get £6,600. Competing in the Cricket World Cup? Female winners get £47,000, men £2,500,000. Unequivocally unfair.
 
Equality is everyone’s issue. Find out more about #ELLEfeminism so far.