STOCKHOLM, May 17 (Xinhuanet) -- Norway and the other Nordic countries are the leading nations of the world when it comes tothe equal status of women in society, Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK)reported on Tuesday.

    The least difference between men and women within politics, society, work and education is found in Sweden, followed by Norway, Iceland, Denmark and Finland, according to a survey among 58countries, made by the World Economic Forum.

    The report covered 30 OECD countries and 28 other emerging markets. The study compared gender differences in wages, access to labour market, political representation, access to education, and access to reproductive healthcare.

    Augusto Lopez-Claros, chief economist and director of the Global Competitiveness Programme at the World Economic Forum, said the Nordic example demonstrated that countries reaped handsome economical rewards for their efforts to minimize the gender gap.Enditem