Although the number of women participants at the World Economic Forum, beginning on January 26 in Davos, Switzerland, has nearly doubled since 2001, women are still scarce at the event. This year, women made up only 16 percent of attendees, up from 9 percent in 2001. To increase women’s presence at the forum, organizers required that top 100 member companies send at least one woman as one of their five delegates this year.
Zainab Salbi, founder of Women for Women International and one of the World Economic Forum’s Young Leaders, stated, “I know many women who already talk about no longer coming to Davos. The forum was a great 20th century event, now it needs to prove that it is fit for the 21st.”
Approximately 2,500 world and business leaders and activists gathered to discuss global economics and politics at the World Economic Forum, an annual five-day event held in January.
