Guest blog post by business owner Dianne Dixon.

According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap report 2011, four of the top five nations that have taken significant steps toward achieving gender parity are Nordic. They are: Iceland, Norway, Finland, and Sweden; Ireland rounds out the quintet.

The report was based on five years of data from 135 countries; it measured gender gap ratios in the following major categories: 

Nothing like a compilation of blog posts on gender issues to get one’s feminist blood coursing a little faster in one's veins!

This hand-picked baker's dozen of favourite AmazingWomenRock feminist posts from the last year or so is designed to get you thinking about, and hopefully ACTING on, gender equality issues.

More women are talking about gender issues, that's for sure. But we need more women DOING stuff to create change and make real progress.

In yesterday's post (This Is Insane. I Mean Really. C'mon!) I wondered wether to scream or cry.

Today, I learned a lesson in humility when I found that women (and men!) who are obviously much smarter than I are providing a far more sensible reponse: fight back with messages that point out the utter ridiculousness of the situation.

Here are a few more stellar examples courtesy of Formidable Republican Opposition:

Ummm. What century are we in? This is the scariest picture I've seen so far this millennium. It defies all reason. I can't even write. I'm speechless. I mean really.

WTF is GOING ON? Not ONE woman on a US government panel the purpose of which is to discuss issues related to the availability of contraception?