NEW DELHI: India, despite figuring in the medium human development group of countries as per the Human Development Index, finds itself placed in the group of countries classified as low on empowerment on the first twin indices for women empowerment (WEI) and global gender parity (GGPI) brought out by UN bodies – UNWomen and UNDP.
A staggering 3.1 billion women and girls – over 90% of the world’s female population – live in countries characterised by low or middle women’s empowerment and low or middle performance in achieving gender parity. None of the 114 countries analysed have achieved full women’s empowerment or complete gender parity.
While India fares well on financial inclusion with a large section of women having their own bank accounts and the country leading the way in participation in local self government, the report highlights that there are still large gaps in skill building, presence of women in the labour market, political participation and representation in the private sector.
That higher human development does not automatically translate into women’s empowerment and gender equality, comes through in the report “The Paths To Equal” that for the first time assesses 114 countries on twin indices for women empowerment and gender parity in 2022. The UN bodies assert that together, these indices provide a more complete picture of countries’ progress towards women’s empowerment and gender equality.
“Less than 1% of women and girls live in a country with high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap. Globally, women are empowered to achieve, on average, only 60% of their full potential, as measured by the WEI, and women achieve 28% less than men across key human development dimensions, as measured by the GGPI,” it is stated.
The empowerment deficit according to the WEI in India is 48%, and gender gap according to the GGPI is 44%. India’s score in WEI is higher than the regional average of central and southern Asia where the empowerment deficit is 50%. However, the gender gap in India at 44% is slightly higher than the central and southern Asia regional gender gap of 42%.
In India, women, and girls fare well in certain empowerment indicators. For instance, 77.5% of women in their reproductive age have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods. Furthermore, the country’s adolescent birth rate of 16.3 per 1,000 women aged 15-19 is much lower than the regional average of 27.8.
Additionally, India performs better than the regional average in financial inclusion, with 77.6% of women and girls aged 15 and over having an account at a financial institution or with a mobile money service provider.
India also leads the way in participation of women in local government – 44% of local government seats in India are held by women. However, national political representation lags, with only 14.7% of parliamentary seats held by women and women’s presence in managerial positions at only 15.9%.
