Armenia

Background and ContextFigure 2:Gender Equity Index Scores by Subindex and Over Time20094.65871.297.120123670741000 50 100GEI scoreWomen’sempowermentEconomic activityEducationGEI = Gender Equality Index.Source: Soial Watch. GEI Scores by Country. http://www.socialwatch.org/node/14367lower than scores for the other two dimensions, and in the case of economic participationand opportunity, the World Economic Forum finds that gender inequality has actuallyincreased since 2007.17. The Gender Equity Index, developed by Social Watch to measure gaps betweenmen and women in three dimensions (i.e., education, the economy, and empowerment),presents a more positive picture of reducing gender gaps in Armenia, but also suggests thatpositive trends have not been consistent across all dimensions. A comparison of 2009 and2012 scores shows that the greatest positive developments have been made in women’sempowerment, that is,a measure of “gaps in highly qualified jobs, parliament and seniorexecutive positions”. 8 Scores related to school enrollment and literacy rates have remainedconsistently high, but those for economic participation, a measure of gaps in income andemployment, have shown minimal improvement (Figure 2).B. National Policies and Institutions on Women’s Rightsand Gender Equality1. Law and Policy on Gender Equality18. Armenia is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of AllForms of Discrimination against Women. As mentioned, it has also been a member ofthe Council of Europe since 2001 and is a party to several regional treaties that reiterate8 The gender gap is assigned a value in each of the three areas from 0, a situation of complete inequality, to 100, perfect equality, and theGender Equality Index is an average of the three dimensions. Social Watch. Measuring Inequity: The 2012 Gender Equity Index. http://www.socialwatch.org/node/143655