Mind the gap-The Hindu-(PG-10)-26-12-2019

Context

In the latest edition of the Global Gender Gap Index 2020 India has slipped to 112th position out of 153 countries from 108 last year.

Global Gender Gap Index

The Gender Gap Index is an annual index published by World Economic Forum since 2006.

The Report highlights gaps in gender parity in four dimensions namely

1. Economic Participation and Opportunity Wage gap, labour force participation and access to high-skilled employment

2. Educational attainment Access to basic and higher level education

3. Political empowerment Representation in decision-making structures

4. Health and survival Life expectancy and sex ratio

Gender Gap Index 2020

India performance

India has slipped to 112th position from its 108th position last year.

It is below on China (106th), Sri Lanka (102nd), Nepal (101st), Brazil (92nd), Indonesia (85th) and Bangladesh (50th).

India's low ranking is on account of bad performance in
Economic Participation 149
Health and survival - 150

However India ranks 18 on political empowerment sub-index though female political
representation is low at only 14.4% of parliament.

On educational attainment India ranks 112 out of 153 countries.

Global Findings

The top performers include Iceland, Norway, and Finland

Yemen is ranked the worst (153rd), behind Iraq (152nd) and Pakistan (151st).

World over the gender parity is at 68.6% and at the current rate of improvement it is expected to close in after 99.5 years.