Are women really advancing? There is a lot evidence to suggest that they are, but yet there are so many factors suggesting otherwise.

In Africa, the HIV/AIDS pandemic has set them back, while in India, pregnant women so prefer boys they abort half a million females a year. Yet Monday, Liberia inaugurated Africa's first woman president, while on Sunday, Chile elected the first woman leader in Latin America who didn't rise to power on her husband's reputation.

In richer nations, too, the report card on women's progress is mixed.

Read the full opinion at Yahoo.com