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Global Gender Gap Report 2024
Context:
India’s poor ranking in the Global Gender Gap Report 2024 reveals that gender disparities persist despite efforts for equality.
More in News:
- India has slipped to 129th place in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap index, down from 127th last year.
- Iceland retains the top position globally, followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand, and Sweden.
- Among South Asian countries, India ranks fifth, trailing Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.
- Pakistan is ranked last globally at 145th place.
About the Global Gender Gap Report:
- The Global Gender Gap Report is an annual assessment by the World Economic Forum since 2006.
- It measures gender parity across four key dimensions: economic opportunities, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.
- The report aims to track progress towards gender equality globally, regionally, and within economies.
Key Findings of the Report:
- India’s Overall Ranking: India ranks 129th out of 146 economies assessed in 2024, showing a slight decline compared to previous editions.
- Performance by Dimension:
- Educational Attainment: India ranks 112th, with persistent gaps in literacy rates despite high enrolment.
- Economic Participation and Opportunity: India ranks 142nd, reflecting challenges in women’s workforce participation and income parity.
- Health and Survival: India ranks 142nd , indicating disparities in health outcomes.
- Political Empowerment: The country scores 65th globally in women’s political empowerment. India ranks 10th in gender parity concerning years with female/male heads of state over the last 50 years.
- Comparison with Other South Asian Countries:
- India performs worse than Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan in gender equality metrics.
Challenges:
- India’s low ranking underscores significant challenges in achieving gender equality across various sectors.
- Despite initiatives and policy interventions, gaps remain pronounced in educational attainment, economic opportunities, health outcomes, and political representation.
- The report underscores the need for targeted efforts to bridge these gaps and enhance gender parity in India.
Way forward:
While some progress has been made in closing gender gaps in economic participation since 2012, substantial improvements are still needed in legislative roles, income parity, and labour-force participation.
World Economic Forum (WEF):
- International organisation founded in 1971.
- Based in Geneva, Switzerland.
- Engages political, business, academic, and other leaders to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.
- Known for its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
- Focuses on public-private cooperation, global governance, and social impact initiatives.
Reports Published by WEF:
- Global Competitiveness Report: Assesses the competitiveness landscape of economies.
- Global Gender Gap Report: Measures gender-based disparities across various indicators.
- Global Risks Report: Identifies global risks and their interconnections.
- Global Information Technology Report: Assesses ICT readiness and usage.
- Global Human Capital Report: Measures countries’ ability to develop and deploy a healthy, educated, and skilled labour force.
- Global Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report: Evaluates travel and tourism sectors.
- Global Enabling Trade Report: Assesses the extent to which economies enable trade.
- Global Social Mobility Report: Measures the extent to which children can expect to have better lives than their parents.
