Final answer:
On average, women make up about 10% of the prison population worldwide, with significant disparities by race and ethnicity among women. The U.S., specifically, has a high incarceration rate with historical racism impact and leads in the total number of prisoners globally.
Step-by-step explanation:
The percentage of women in prisons varies by country, but on average, women make up a relatively small percentage of the prison population worldwide. Option a) 10% is generally the closest estimate when comparing across most countries. It's important to note that while women are much less likely to be imprisoned, there are significant disparities in imprisonment rates by race and ethnicity among women as well. For instance, in the United States, the incarceration system has been historically burdened by racism, and although the incarceration rate has started to decline in recent years, the U.S. still holds the largest number of prisoners of any nation in the world.