The recently released World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report puts Australia at 24 in a list of 136 countries, behind neighbouring New Zealand, which sits at number seven.
The index measures the relative gaps between men and women across health, education, economics and politics.
Australia’s ranking has decreased greatly since 2006, when it was ranked 15th.
Women in South Africa, Cuba, Burundi, the Philippines, Latvia and Lesotho all enjoy greater equality with men than Australia.
Iceland topped the list followed by Finland, Norway and Sweden, while Yemen ranked last.
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Comment: Iceland is the best place in the world to be a woman
Politics was identified as the area where gender equality is the hardest to achieve.
Political empowerment rankings are determined by the ratio of females with seats in parliament over men, the ratio of females in ministerial roles over men and the number of years a female has been head of state in the past 50 years
Australia was ranked 43rd in the political empowerment category at a time when Prime Minister Tony Abbott is facing increasing criticism for having only one female in his ministry.
For more, watch the full report in the video player above.
