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Context

• In a recent development, the newly formed Indian cabinet has been announced, consisting of 30 Union ministers. However, only two of these ministers are women, highlighting a significant gender disparity.
• This announcement comes at a time when the Global Gender Gap Report 2024, released by the World Economic Forum, has shed light on the extensive gender gaps that persist in India and across South Asia.

Gender Representation in the New Indian Cabinet

• Total Ministers: 30
• Women Ministers: 2

Global Gender Gap Report 2024 Highlights

• India's Ranking: In the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report, India ranked among the lowest globally, specifically third-lowest among South Asian economies.
• Comparison with Neighbors: India performed worse than several neighboring countries, including Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan.
• Political Empowerment: Despite its overall low ranking, India scored relatively well in the ‘Political Empowerment’ parameter, ranking 65th. This indicates some progress in women’s political representation, though it remains insufficient.

India's Rankings in Key Categories

• Economic Participation and Opportunity: Ranked 142nd, indicating significant gender disparities in economic involvement and opportunities for women.
• Health and Survival: Also ranked 142nd, reflecting critical issues in health equity and survival rates between genders.
• Educational Attainment: Ranked 112th, showing that while there is progress in educational access, there remains a substantial gap in literacy rates and educational outcomes between men and women.
• Overall Ranking: India ranked 129th out of 146 countries, slightly lower than in the previous edition of the report.

Areas of Gender Gap Improvement

Economic Participation Improvement Needed:

• • To reach the peak economic parity of 46% seen in 2012, India needs a 6.2 percentage point improvement from its latest score.
  • Key Indicators for Improvement:
    • Estimated Earned Income: Needs a 28.6% improvement.
    • Legislative, Senior Officials, and Management Roles: Requires a 14.4% increase.
    • Labour-Force Participation Rate: A 45.9% increase is needed.
    • Professional and Technical Workers: Should improve by 49.4%.

Political Empowerment Scores

• Head-of-State Indicator: India scores within the top 10 globally with a 40.7% score, showing a relatively higher representation of women in head-of-state roles.
• Ministerial Positions: Only 6.9% of ministerial positions are held by women.
• Parliament Representation: Women hold 17.2% of seats in parliament, which is low compared to global averages.

Educational Attainment

• Enrollment Levels: While high in primary, secondary, and tertiary education, the increase in women’s educational attainment has been modest.
• Literacy Gap: There is a 17.2 percentage point gap in literacy rates between men and women, contributing to India's rank of 124th in this category.

Regional Insights: South Asia

• Political Disparity: The report highlights high political disparity across South Asia, although the region has moved 4 percentage points towards political parity since 2006.
• Ministerial Representation:
• Nepal: Stands out with 23.5% of ministerial positions held by women, nearing the global average.
• Parliament Representation:
• Nepal: Also excels with 49.9% representation in parliament, surpassing the global average of 33%.
• Regional Gender Parity Score: Southern Asia has a gender parity score of 63.7%, showing a +3.9 percentage point improvement since 2006.
• Global Rank: The region ranks seventh among eight global regions, with Bangladesh being the only country in the region with a double-digit rank of 99.

Global Trends and Insights

• Gender Gap Closure: Globally, 68.5% of the gender gap has been closed, indicating ongoing progress but also highlighting the need for further efforts.
• Europe: This region has the least disparity across various parameters, leading in gender equality.
• Latin America and the Caribbean:
• Economic Parity: Achieved its highest score to date at 65.7%.
• Political Empowerment: Recorded the second-highest regional score at 34%.

Recommendations for Improvement

• Focus on Political Participation: Enhancing women’s participation in political processes can have the most significant impact due to the existing large gaps.
• Labour-Force Participation: The recovery of women’s labour-force participation rates to 65.7% globally, post-pandemic, is encouraging and should be built upon.
• Educational and Economic Opportunities: Improving access to education and economic opportunities for women is crucial for reducing the gender gap and achieving long-term gender parity.

Must Read Articles on Gender Gap: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/gender-gap#:~:text=Global%20Gender%20Gap%20Index%20was,years%20to%20reach%20gender%20equality.

https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/global-gender-index

PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Critically examine the factors contributing to the persistent gender gap in India, despite various policy measures and initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality. Discuss the impact of this gender gap on social and economic development. Suggest concrete steps that can be taken to bridge this gap effectively.

SOURCE: DOWN TO EARTH