The recently released Global Gender Gap Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum has shed light on India’s progress in achieving gender parity. While the country has shown some improvement, it still has a long way to go.
India’s Rank and Progress
India has been ranked at the 127th position out of 146 countries in terms of gender parity. This marks an improvement of eight places from the previous year, where India stood at 135th. While it is encouraging to see progress, the fact remains that India still lags far behind in achieving gender equality on various fronts.
Areas of Achievement and Gaps
The report highlights that India has achieved parity in enrolment across all levels of education. This is a significant milestone, indicating that both boys and girls have equal access to educational opportunities. However, when it comes to economic participation and opportunity, India still has a long way to go. The report reveals that India has reached only 36.7% parity in this area, highlighting the existing gender disparities in the workforce.
Political Empowerment and Representation
On the front of political empowerment, India has registered a 25.3% parity, with women representing 15.1% of parliamentarians. While this is the highest representation for the country since the inception of the report in 2006, it still underscores the need for greater gender inclusivity and participation in decision-making processes.
Neighboring Countries and Global Leaders
In comparison to India’s neighboring countries, Pakistan was ranked at 142, China at 107, Bangladesh at 59, Nepal at 116, Sri Lanka at 115, and Bhutan at 103. These rankings highlight the diverse progress and challenges faced by countries in the region. On the global scale, Iceland emerged as the most gender-equal country for the 14th consecutive year, being the only country to have closed more than 90% of its gender gap.
Understanding the Global Gender Gap Index
The Global Gender Gap Report, released annually by the World Economic Forum since 2006, serves as a benchmark for countries’ progress towards gender parity. It measures gender equality in four key dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
The report provides scores between 0 and 1 on each of the four sub-indices and the overall index, with 1 representing full gender parity and 0 indicating complete imparity. It is the longest-standing index that tracks progress in closing gender gaps over time.
Moving Forward
The Global Gender Gap Report 2023 serves as a wake-up call for India to intensify efforts towards achieving gender equality. While the country has made strides in certain areas, there is still a substantial gender gap that needs to be addressed, particularly in economic participation and opportunity.
To bridge this gap, it is crucial to implement policies and initiatives that promote equal opportunities, empower women economically, and ensure their active participation in decision-making processes. This includes promoting equal pay, enhancing access to quality education and skill development, fostering a supportive work environment, and encouraging women’s leadership and representation in various sectors.
