Australia is ranked 13th globally for gender equality in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) 2025 Global Gender Gap Report. This is the country's highest-ever ranking on the index, rising 11 places from 24th in 2024 and 43rd in 2023.
People in Australia continue to campaign for gender equality and have achieved significant outcomes in recent years. But many women and gender diverse people still face violence, harassment and unfair treatment, and are still underrepresented, overworked and underpaid across many domains in Australia.
Finland, along with neighbours Sweden and Norway, has one of the strongest global reputations for gender equality. The Scandinavian country's government uses a systematic and target-oriented approach to tackle sexism, and has its own Gender Inequality Policy.
By contrast, Guinea, Iran, Chad, Pakistan and Sudan are considered to be the furthest from what the WEF would consider full gender parity of the 146 countries and territories analyzed.
The countries that take women's rights seriously
In a study published in 2019, researchers looked at gender discrimination in 134 countries, and claimed that in 91 (68%) of those countries, men were more disadvantaged than women.
The World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report has seen Australia rise 11 places in the global rankings to 13th out of 148 countries for gender equality, the highest ever ranking since the Index began in 2006.
In a recent analysis, Forbes combined the results of eight different datasets to argue that Iceland is the most feminist and gender-equal country in the world.
Iceland has once more been crowned as the most gender-equal country in the world. This is according to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, released earlier this month.
The biggest human rights issues in Australia center on the systemic discrimination and poorer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, reflected in overrepresentation in prisons, lack of constitutional recognition, and disparities in health/justice, alongside significant concerns for asylum seekers/refugees (offshore detention, indefinite detention) and widespread gender-based violence, with intersecting issues for people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and climate impact.
Australia ranks 11th among the best countries for women, according to the Women, Peace, and Security Index. Australia stands out as a safe country for its female population. And despite challenges, it keeps moving forward.
When accounting for factors such as parental age, health status, or environmental stress, the sex ratio at birth remains remarkably stable, typically ranging between 104 and 107 boys for every 100 girls. However, in some countries with strong son-preference, this ratio is often skewed.
Iceland is consistently ranked as the #1 safest country in the world by the Global Peace Index (GPI), a position it has held for over a decade due to extremely low crime, no standing army, high social cohesion, and minimal conflict, though some other reports might place Switzerland or the Netherlands first based on different survey criteria.
"The NARI 2025 report ranks Mumbai, Kohima, Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar, Aizawl, Gangtok, and Itanagar among the safest cities for women, while Patna, Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Faridabad, Srinagar, and Ranchi rank lowest.
According to the World Economic Forum's 2021 Global Gender Gap Report, Iceland has the smallest gender gap of any country, with a score of 0.892.
The Global Gender Gap Index
From a global perspective, Iceland is considered the most gender equal country. Dominating this list are the Nordic countries: Norway, Finland, New Zealand, and Sweden rank in the top 5.
Feminists argue that early Islam represented more egalitarian ideals, while conservatives argue that gender asymmetries are "divinely ordained". Islamic feminists are Muslims who interpret the Quran and Hadith in an egalitarian manner and advocate for women's rights and equality in the public and personal sphere.
American feminist, journalist, media producer, and political activist Gloria Steinem is considered the world's most famous feminist for her work in the Women's Liberation Movement.
Ideology in Australian politics
In contemporary Australian political culture, the Liberal and National parties are considered centre-right and the Australian Labor Party is considered centre-left. Australian conservatism is largely represented by the Liberal Party, along with Australian liberalism.
The top issues for Australian youth today center around severe financial stress (cost of living, housing), significant mental health challenges (anxiety, isolation), and deep concerns about climate change, with violence/safety also rising, according to recent major surveys. These issues profoundly impact their daily lives, affecting well-being and future prospects, despite resilience and hope for change.
High rates of violence, a growing gender pay gap and public attitudes are still just some of the many challenges Australia faces in its ongoing fight for gender equality, according to one of the nation's leading voices on women's rights.
Prevalence of Mental Health Issues in Women
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), women are nearly twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, and they are also more likely to suffer from anxiety disorders.
Reverse sexism is a controversial term for discrimination against men and boys, or for anti-male prejudice.
SAGE considers gender balance to be 40% women, 40% men, 20% people of any gender. Applying a 40:40:20 approach is inclusive of those identifying outside of the gender binary, which is a key principle of Athena Swan.