Nations Where Women's Share of Pay Is Highest

Mark McGwire's record season has ensured him a place not just in baseball's record book; it also qualified him for road atlases. The US Senate has voted to rename I-70 as it passes through St. Louis County, Mo., for the Cardinals star. The idea came from Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz, who wrote of McGwire's 70 round-trippers: "That's not a home-run total; that's an interstate." Not adopted was the writer's suggestion that a colossus of the slugger straddle the highway.

The political party of German Chancellor-elect Gerhard Schroder was delighted when his toothy grin helped win over millions of voters last weekend. But the Social Democrats (SDP) aren't at all happy that a toothpaste company also finds the Schroder grin irresistible. Full-page ads for British-made Perlweiss appeared in newspapers within 72 hours of the election, showing Schroder flashing his - well - pearly whites above the slogan, "He showed them all." But using photos of public figures for commercial purposes without permission is illegal in Germany, and the SDP insists that Perlweiss stop or face the bite of legal action.

A recent report from the UN Development Program indicates the share of total earned income paid to women varies widely from country to country - from more than 47 percent in Tanzania to less than 10 percent in Qatar. Using 1995 data, it lists the share for the US as 40.3 percent; for Canada, 37.96 percent. The UN report credits the following nations as having the highest percentage of total earned income going to women:

1. Tanzania 47.29%
2. Cambodia 45.17
3. Sweden 44.70
4. Latvia 43.98
5. Ghana 43.30
6. Ukraine 42.38
7. Norway 42.36
8. Burundi 42.34
9. Burma (Myanmar) 42.33 10. Vietnam 42.03