BAHRAIN's ranking on the sixth annual World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2011 remains the same as last year, it has emerged.
Although Bahrain had a small overall gain in the score this year, its ranking remains the same as other countries move ahead faster, reveals the report.
The country came in at 110, behind the UAE at 103 and Kuwait at 105, but in front of Qatar at 111, Oman 127, and Saudi Arabia 131.
The index assesses 135 countries, representing more than 93pc of the world's population, on how well resources and opportunities are divided amongst male and female populations. It measures the size of the gender inequality gap in four key areas.
They are economic participation and opportunity (salaries, participation and highly-skilled employment), education (access to basic and higher level education), political empowerment (representation in decision-making structures) and health and survival (life expectancy and sex ratio).
The index scores can be interpreted as the percentage of the gap that has been closed between women and men. Of these, 114 have been covered since the first edition of the report six years ago.
Thirteen of the 14 variables used to create the index are from publicly available hard data indicators from the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Health Organisation.
In each of the four areas measured for the gender inequality gap Bahrain was ranked neither the lowest nor the highest in the GCC.
In economic participation and opportunity, Bahrain was ranked 115, behind Qatar at 104, and Kuwait 107, but ahead of UAE at 119, Oman 130 and Saudi Arabia 133.
In educational attainment, Bahrain was ranked 81, behind Qatar at 57, and UAE 59, but ahead of Saudi Arabia 92, and Oman 99. In political empowerment Bahrain was ranked 122, behind UAE at 62, and Kuwait 116, but ahead of Oman at 129, and Qatar and Saudi Arabia 132.
In health and survival, Bahrain, UAE and Kuwait ranked 111, behind Saudi Arabia at 53, and Oman at 62, but ahead of Qatar at 127.