कृपया इसे हिंदी में पढ़ने के लिए यहाँ क्लिक करें
What just happened?
On June 12, 2025, the World Economic Forum released the Global Gender Gap Report 2025, ranking 148 countries across four key dimensions of gender equality:
- Economic Participation & Opportunity
- Educational Attainment
- Health & Survival
- Political Empowerment
India secured the 131st spot, slipping two places from 129th last year, even though its overall score slightly improved from 64.1% to 64.4% (or 0.644). This shift reflects other countries accelerating ahead rather than deterioration in India’s data.
India’s score vs global average
- India: 64.1–64.4%, below the global average of 68.8%—a gap showing we’re still behind the world .
- Top performer: Iceland leads with 92.6% parity, followed by Finland, Norway, the UK, and New Zealand.
Where India is doing well
- Educational Attainment – 97.1%, ranked ~110th: Near full parity thanks to female literacy and participation in higher education.
- Health & Survival – ~95%, ranked ~140th: Gains in sex ratio at birth and “healthy life expectancy,” though overall life expectancy has dipped somewhat.
Where India is struggling
- Economic Participation & Opportunity – 40.7%, ranked 144th. India remains among the lowest globally:
- Female labor force participation stagnant at 45.9%.
- Women earn only ~30% of what men earn—a stark wage gap.
- Low representation in senior/technical roles.
- Political Empowerment – only 0.245, ranked ~69th. Marked decline:
- Women MPs fell from 14.7% to 13.8%
- Women ministers dropped from 6.5% to 5.6%. This remains India’s weakest link.
How we compare in South Asia
- Bangladesh soared to 24th (+75 places)
- Bhutan – 119 | Nepal – 125 | Sri Lanka – 130 | India – 131 | Maldives – 138 | Pakistan – 148
Why it matters—and what it means
- Social impact: The gap signals persistent patriarchy, gender bias, and concerns around women’s dignity and safety—many women even in big cities still feel unsafe.
- Economic cost: India loses an estimated USD 770 billion annually due to the gender gap. Linking women to the workforce could boost productivity, innovation, and GDP .
- Political fallout: Underrepresentation of women erodes diversity of decision-making and public trust in governance.
A brief backstory
Since its launch in 2006, the WEF index has been a benchmark for global gender performance. India once improved (ranked 127 in 2023), but now the pendulum has swung backward.
What could help?
- Raise female work participation via skills training, maternity rights, flexible work, and WFH culture.
- Push for 33% political reservation for women, now passed in Parliament but stalled in implementation.
- Reinforce laws on safety and harassment, expand fast-track courts and women police forces.
- Integrate gender sensitivity into school curricula and ensure schemes like Beti Bachao… reach real impact.
- Conduct gender-based budgeting and evaluate schemes rigorously at the grassroots.
What comes next?
Global gender parity will take 123 years at current pace—full equality only by 2148, warns WEF. India must act now—before we slip further behind regionally and economically.
In a nutshell
India’s slight score improvement masks deep problems: economic and political empowerment lag behind, asymmetrically. Meanwhile, neighbours like Bangladesh and Nepal leap ahead. The way forward lies in bold policies, societal change, and focused implementation.
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