The Struggle for Equality: Can We Close the Global Gender Gap?

When it comes to equality between the sexes, women have made dramatic strides in recent decades. In spite of that good news, a significant gender gap persists, particularly in two critical areas: economic equality and political power. For example, while women account for more than half of the world's population, they hold fewer than 20 percent of all decision-making national positions according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2011. We took the occasion of the release of the report to speak with Laura Liswood about its findings and about progress in the quest for gender equality. Laura Liswood is Secretary General and Co-Founder of the Council of Women World Leaders. Previously she served as Managing Director of Global Leadership and Diversity for Goldman Sachs, where she worked on issues of globalization and workforce diversity. She is now a Senior Advisor to the firm.