MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - Russia ranked a modest 61st of 136 world economies on gender inequality in a new global study unveiled Friday, largely due to a wage gap and lack of political representation for women.
Russia did better, however, than China, Turkey and Japan in the Global Gender Gap Report 2013 by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum.
But Russia was bested by Uganda, Moldova and Kazakhstan in the study by the group, best known for holding an annual meeting of global political and business elites in Davos.
Russia did well on most economic and educational criteria used in the study, published annually since 2006. But its score was held down by wage inequality, on which Russia was 83rd, and political empowerment (94th).
Russia peaked in 2008 when it came 42nd in the overall rating, but has been slipping since. Last year, it ranked 60th.
The 2013 rating was topped by Iceland, Finland and Norway, with Yemen at the bottom, alongside Pakistan and Chad.
The United States was ranked 23rd, Britain 18th.
The number of women in Russian politics has plummeted to around a third of what was two decades ago, or just 10 percent of all politicians, according to Moscow State University data.
Only two of 30 members of the incumbent Russian cabinet are women.
