The World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2021 has positioned India 28 places lower than the previous year, making it noteworthy and of concern. This descent in the ranks occurs despite varied initiatives taken by the Indian government, such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, One Stop Centre (OSC) Scheme, Ujjawala Scheme aimed at gender inequality. It is important to note that gender equality is a fundamental principle embedded within the Indian Constitution via its Preamble, Fundamental Rights, Duties and Directive Principles.
Understanding the Global Gender Gap Report
Launched in 2006, this report by WEF assesses the progress of 156 countries towards gender parity across four dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. The index has a maximum possible score of 1(indicating equality) and a minimum score of 0(signifying inequality). The primary objective of this report is to function as a guide in tracking the relative gaps between men and women in various sectors like health, education, economy, and politics, enabling stakeholders to set country-specific priorities.
India’s Position in the Rank
Compared to the other South Asian countries, India’s current rank of 140 among 156 countries indicates poor performance. For context, other South Asian countries’ rankings are as follows: Bangladesh-65, Nepal-106, Pakistan-153, Afghanistan-156, Bhutan-130, and Sri Lanka-116. In the previous year, India held the 112th rank among 153 countries.
Political Empowerment
There is a significant fall in India’s ranking in the political empowerment index as well, with a decline of 13.5 percentage points. This is largely due to a decrease in the number of women ministers from 23.1% in 2019 to 9.1% in 2021. However, India retains a respectable position of 51 in the ranking for women’s participation in politics.
Educational Attainment
India’s placement on the educational attainment index is at the 114th rank.
Economic Participation
The Global Gender Gap Report observes an expansion of the economic participation gender gap by 3% in India in 2021. It pointed out that the share of women in professional and technical roles has further decreased to 29.2%.
Health and Survival
With a ranking of 155, India’s performance is worst in this category. The only country to perform worse in this regard is China. The report attributes the skewed sex ratio to cultural norms favoring sons and gender-biased prenatal sex-selective practices.
The Global Scenario
South Asia appears as one of the worst-performing regions, with only Middle East and northern Africa trailing behind. It is estimated that it will take South Asia a staggering 195.4 years to close the gender gap.
About World Economic Forum
Established in 1971, the World Economic Forum is the International Organization for Public-Private Cooperation. It is a not-for-profit foundation that is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and operates independently, free from any special interests. The WEF undertakes to demonstrate entrepreneurship in the global public interest while maintaining the highest governance standards.