Gender parity still a challenge for India, ranks 127th in WEF global rankings

In the latest release of the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 by the World Economic Forum, India has shown signs of progress, closing 64.3 per cent of its overall gender gap. The country has climbed eight positions and improved by 1.4 percentage points since the last edition, marking a partial recovery from its 2020 parity level of 66.8 per cent . However, India's ranking stands at 127th out of the indexed countries, highlighting the challenges that remain in achieving gender equality.

The report reveals that India has achieved parity in enrollment across all levels of education, a significant achievement. However, the country is falling short in economic participation and opportunity, with only 36.7 per cent parity. While there have been improvements in wage and income parity, the representation of women in senior positions and technical roles has slightly declined compared to the previous edition.

In terms of political empowerment, India has made strides with a parity rate of 25.3 per cent. Notably, women now represent 15.1 per cent of parliamentarians, the highest since the inaugural edition in 2006. This progress reflects a positive trend towards greater gender inclusivity in political representation.

The Health and Survival index shows a notable improvement for India, with a sex ratio at birth reaching 92.7 per cent, an increase of 1.9 percentage points compared to the previous year. This improvement has helped drive up parity in health and survival, which now stands at 95 per cent, signalling progress after a decade of slow advancement.

While the Global Gender Gap Report 2023 indicates a recovery of gender equality to pre-pandemic levels worldwide, it also highlights a slowdown in the pace of progress. The report states that the overall gender gap has closed by a mere 0.3 percentage points compared to the previous year. At the current rate, it will take 131 years to close the global gender gap entirely.

Saadia Zahidi, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, emphasizes the importance of women's economic participation and opportunity, stating, "An economic rebound requires the full power of creativity and diverse ideas and skills. We cannot afford to lose momentum on women's economic participation and opportunity."