12 Oct 2023 Global Gender Gap Index
This article covers “Daily Current Affairs” and the topic details “Global Gender Gap Index”. This topic has relevance in the Social Justice section of the UPSC CSE exam.
For Prelims:
About the Global Gender Gap Index?
For Mains:
GS 2: Social Justice
Key Findings from the Global Gender Gap Index 2023 Report?
Status of South Asia and India in the Global Gender Gap Index (2023)?
Why in the news?
The Global Gender Gap Index is an annual report introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006. It serves as a critical tool to assess and track the state and evolution of gender parity worldwide, highlighting areas where gender gaps persist.
Key Findings from the Global Gender Gap Index 2023 Report:
Progress Towards Full Gender Parity:
- The report states that no country has yet achieved complete gender parity, emphasizing that there is still work to be done.
Top-Performing Country:
- Iceland has consistently secured the top position for the 14th year in a row, with a score of 91.2%. It is the sole country to successfully bridge more than 90% of its gender gap.
Gender Gap Progress Across Dimensions:
- The report measures gender gaps in four main dimensions: Health and Survival, Educational Attainment, Economic Participation and Opportunity, and Political Empowerment.
- The health and Survival gender gap has closed by 96%, the Educational Attainment gap by 95.2%, the Economic Participation and Opportunity gap by 60.1%, and the Political Empowerment gap by 22.1%.
Projections for Closing Gender Gaps:
- The analysis suggests that the time required to close gender gaps varies across dimensions. The Political Empowerment gender gap is projected to take 162 years to close, while the Economic Participation and Opportunity gender gap is estimated to require 169 years. In contrast, the Educational Attainment gender gap is expected to be resolved within 16 years.
Challenges in Achieving Gender Parity in the Labor Market:
- Achieving gender parity in the labor market remains a significant challenge. Women’s participation in the global labor market has seen a decline in recent years, and substantial disparities persist in various aspects of economic opportunity.
- Despite women returning to the workforce at higher rates than men, gender gaps still exist, especially in leadership roles.
Status of South Asia and India in the Global Gender Gap Index (2023)
India’s Rank and Progress:
- In the Gender Gap Report of 2023 by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India was ranked 127 among 146 countries, showing an improvement of eight places from the previous year’s ranking.
- India’s rank in 2022 was 135, indicating that it has made progress by 1.4 percentage points, moving towards its 2020 gender parity levels.
Gender Gap in India:
- The report indicates that India has closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap, with notable achievements in educational parity.
- India has reached parity in enrollment across all levels of education, which is a significant advancement.
Economic Participation and Opportunity:
- However, in economic participation and opportunity, India has achieved only 36.7% parity. This dimension remains a substantial challenge for gender equality.
Wages and Income Parity:
- While there has been some improvement in wage and income parity, the representation of women in senior positions and technical roles has slightly decreased since the previous report.
Political Empowerment:
- India has a 25.3% parity in political empowerment, and women make up 15.1% of Members of Parliament (MPs).
Local Governance Representation:
- Among 117 countries with data available since 2017, India is among 18 nations where women’s representation in local governance exceeds 40%, standing at 44.4%.
Sex Ratio Improvement:
- India has seen a 1.9 percentage point improvement in the sex ratio at birth, contributing to increased gender parity after more than a decade.
- India’s sex ratio at birth, while improving, is slightly lower than top-scoring countries, standing at 92.7% compared to the leading countries with 94.4% gender parity at birth.
The Global Gender Gap Index reveals that India has made notable progress in certain areas of gender parity but continues to face challenges, especially in economic participation and opportunity. The report underscores the importance of ongoing efforts to close gender gaps, empower women politically, and ensure greater representation in decision-making roles.
Source:https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/india-climbs-eight-places-to-127-in-global-gender-index-says-wef-report/article66994156.ece
Download Yojna daily current affairs eng med 12th Oct 2023
Q.1 Which organization is responsible for providing the rankings in the ‘Global Gender Gap Index’ for countries worldwide?
(a) World Economic Forum
(b) UN Human Rights Council
(c) UN Women
(d) UNDP
ANSWER: A
Q.2 Gender equality is not just a goal in itself but a catalyst for achieving sustainable development.” Elaborate.
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