Most of the world believes men, women will be equal: Pew poll

Most people around the world believe women eventually will achieve equality with men, a new poll by the Pew Research Center shows.

About 75% of respondents said they believe women will achieve economic, political and educational equality to men, according to the survey, released Thursday. Men expressed more optimism than women for that belief in future equality.

Most respondents in many African, Middle Eastern and Asian-Pacific countries said men should have “preferential treatment” when jobs are scarce. More than 90% of U.S. respondents said gender equality is “very important.”

Pew surveyed more than 38,000 adults between May 2019 and October in 34 countries.

A poll asking similar questions in 2010 showed substantially fewer people in many nations believing men have better lives than women. Just 5% of respondents said women already had achieved equality in their home countries.