Women will wait 217 years for pay gap to close, WEF says

Gender parity 'shifting into reverse' as World Economic Forum adds 47 years to time needed to reach workplace equality

Women around the globe may have to wait more than two centuries to achieve equality in the workplace, according to new research.

The World Economic Forum, best known for its annual gathering in the Swiss resort of Davos, said it would take 217 years for disparities in the pay and employment opportunities of men and women to end. This is significantly longer than the 170 years its researchers calculated a year ago.

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