India ranked 114 in the Gender Gap Index 2014

According to World Economic Development India stood at 114th rank in the Gender Gap Index-2014. In total 142 countries ranks were released.

According to WEF, the poor rank of India is mainly down to deterioration in economic participation and opportunity, as well as educational attainment. In economic terms, India ranks 134th overall, with low scores in terms of labour force participation, wage equality and estimated earned income. Equality in terms of health and survival, too, remains a problem, where it ranks 141 out of 142 only behind Armenia. As regards, the sex ratio, India is at a poor 134th

The only silver lining is the country remains a role model in terms of political empowerment, in which it ranks 15th. India has 111 women in Parliament, with 107 women in Ministerial positions. This is the ninth year of the index, introduced by WEF in 2006. WEF said that in nine years, the world has seen only a small improvement in equality for women in the workplace, with the gender gap for economic participation and opportunity at 60 per cent worldwide having closed by only 4 per cent from 56 per cent in 2006. According to report it will take 81 years for the world to close this gap completely

• India also tops the list of countries on the years with woman head of state (over the past 50 years). While it fell 13 places to 114th slot, politically it is ranked higher than the United States and the United Kingdom.
• It ranks 111 on the list of countries which have women in Parliament and 107 on the list of countries with women ministers.
• On economic participation and opportunity, India ranks 134, while on educational attainment it ranks 126. But on the health and survival parameter India’s rank is among the lowest at 142.
• Owing to its low sex ratio at birth India slumps to 114th position overall, which makes it the lowest-ranked BRICS nation and one of the few countries where female labour force participation is shrinking, the report states.
• Pointing out that it will take 81 years for gender parity at the workplace, the report shows Nordic nations dominate the Global Gender Gap Index in 2014; Nicaragua, Rwanda and the Philippines all make the top 10.
• The report says on average, in 2014, over 96 per cent of the gap in health outcomes, 94 per cent of the gap in educational attainment, 60 per cent of the gap in economic participation and 21 per cent of the gap in political empowerment has been closed. No country in the world has achieved gender equality.

Published date : 30 Oct 2014 11:35AM