Closing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity Taskforces

The World Economic Forum launched Gender Parity Taskforces in Mexico, Turkey, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to close economic gender gaps by up to 10% over three years. These taskforces utilize a public-private collaboration model to improve female labour force participation, increase women's representation in senior leadership, and close wage gaps. Initial assessments show relative improvements in Economic Participation and Opportunity scores in Mexico (2.5%), Turkey (9.5%), and Japan (7.4%) between 2012 and 2014. The report highlights that while 'hard' elements like flexible working hours are often present, 'soft' elements such as leadership training for women are still needed. Key lessons include the necessity of a clear national rationale for gender parity, the importance of metrics-based tracking, and the need for strategies that withstand political cycles.

• The Gender Parity Taskforces in Mexico, Turkey, Japan, and the Republic of Korea aim to reduce economic gender gaps by up to 10% within a three-year period, focusing on female labour force participation, senior-level representation, and the wage gap.
• Between 2012 and 2014, the Economic Participation and Opportunity gender gap scores showed relative improvements in three of the pilot countries: Turkey improved by 9.5%, Japan by 7.4%, and Mexico by 2.5%.
• In Mexico, women face significant barriers to economic empowerment, with only 48% labour force participation compared to 83% for men, and women holding only 7% of board roles in listed companies.
• Turkey's taskforce, known as the 'Equality at Work Platform', includes nearly 80 of the country's largest employers and has seen more than half of its members increase female employment at all levels.
• In Japan, research indicates that while 'hard' infrastructure like flexible working hours is often available, there is a lack of 'soft' elements such as leadership training for women and an environment that supports female leadership.
• The Republic of Korea's taskforce, launched in mid-2014, involves 100 of the largest employers and focuses on preventing female career interruptions and fostering a culture of gender equality.
• The report identifies five critical success factors for closing economic gender gaps: a clearly articulated national rationale, long-term strategies that withstand political cycles, a common vision based on status quo assessments, a metrics-based approach to tracking, and the engagement of civil society and media.

APA

World Economic Forum (2015). Closing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity Taskforces. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Gender_Taskforce_Report_2015.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Closing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity Taskforces. 2015. http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Gender_Taskforce_Report_2015.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Closing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity Taskforces |date=March 2015 |url=http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Gender_Taskforce_Report_2015.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2015closing, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Closing the Gender Gap: The Gender Parity Taskforces}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2015}, month = mar, url = {http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Gender_Taskforce_Report_2015.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }