Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Report

 

Latest Context:

Recently, a report titled “The Paths to Equal: Twin Indices on Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality” was jointly published by UN Women and UN Development Programme (UNDP).

More about the news:

• Basically, it’s the first-of-its-kind report that provides a comprehensive analysis of progress made in human development of women and girls.
• Both the UN bodies have analysed data from almost 114 countries based on twin indices:

a) Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI): It measures women’s power and freedoms to make choices.

b) Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI): It measures gender disparities in key dimensions of human development.

Key findings of the report are:

• Less than 1% of women across the world live in countries that have managed to achieve both high women empowerment and gender parity.
• No country in the entire world has achieved high women’s empowerment, while maintaining a big  gender gap.
• Women empowerment and gender parity are categorised as ‘low’ in India.
•  In terms of human development, India has been categorised in ‘medium’ category.

What are the challenges in achieving women empowerment and gender equality in India?

• Gender-based violence: High level of gender-based violence is still prevalent in India, including domestic violence, rape, dowry-related deaths, and acid attacks. Implementation gaps in laws and social stigma often discourage women from reporting such incidents.
• Child marriage: Child marriages are still prevalent in many parts of India, leading to early pregnancies and restricting girls' access to education and opportunities.
• Limited access to education: While improvements have been made but girls in rural and marginalized communities still face barriers to education, such as lack of schools, safety concerns during travel, and social norms that prioritize boys' education.
• Gender wage gap: Women in India often earn less than their male counterparts for similar work or work of equal value. This wage gap is present across various sectors and industries.
• Underrepresentation in leadership roles: Women are significantly underrepresented in political, corporate, and other leadership positions. This lack of representation hinders their influence in decision-making processes.
• Unpaid care work burden: Indian women shoulder a significant portion of unpaid care work, including household work and caregiving responsibilities, which limits their time for education, career, and personal development.
• Inadequate access to healthcare: Women in India faces limited access to quality healthcare, particularly in rural areas and face specific challenges concerning reproductive health and maternal care.
• Social and cultural norms: Deep-seated patriarchal norms still persist in various parts of Indian society, impacting women's freedom to make choices and participate fully in public life.
• Trafficking and exploitation: Women and girls in India remain vulnerable to human trafficking and exploitation, including sex trafficking and forced labour.
• Digital gender divide: Women in India face limited access to digital technologies and the internet, which can restrict their economic opportunities and access to information.

Recommendations of the report are:

• To focus on universal access to sexual and reproductive health.
• Special attention needs to be given to address gaps in skills and quality of education.
• Discriminatory laws and policies need to be eliminated on the priority bases.

Conclusion and Way Forward:

• Addressing these challenges requires a comprehensive approach involving government initiatives, civil society engagement, and individual efforts.
• Policy measures like legal protections for women, improve access to education and healthcare, promote women's representation in decision-making roles are required.

 

 

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