India's Gender Inequality in 2024: Economic and Social Challenges Explained

Understanding India's Gender Inequality

Q1: What is the Global Gender Gap Index?

A: The Global Gender Gap Index, introduced in 2006, measures gender parity in economic participation, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

Q2: What is India's rank in the 2024 Global Gender Gap Index?

A: India ranks 138th out of 146 countries, indicating substantial gender disparities.

Q3: What are the components of the Global Gender Gap Index?

A: The Index consists of four sub-indices: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

Economic Participation and Opportunity

Q4: How does India perform in economic participation and opportunity? 

A: India scores 39.89, ranking 142nd among 146 countries in this sub-index.

Q5: What factors contribute to India's low ranking in economic participation? 

A: Contributing factors include low female labor force participation, fewer women in managerial positions, wage gaps, and lack of pay parity.

Educational Attainment

Q6: How is India ranked in educational attainment? 

A: India ranks 112th in educational attainment.

Q7: What progress has India made in closing the educational gender gap? 

A: India has closed 96.4% of the educational gender gap.

Health and Survival

Q8: Where does India stand in health and survival rankings? 

A: India ranks 142nd in the health and survival sub-index.

Q9: What is India's Health and Survival Score?

A: India's score is 0.951, meaning it has closed 95.1% of the gender gap in health and survival.

Political Empowerment

Q10: How is India's performance in political empowerment?

A: Although specific rankings for political empowerment aren't detailed, significant gender gaps exist in this area.

Regional Comparisons and Implications

Q11: How does India compare with its South Asian neighbors?

A: India ranks 7th out of 8 South Asian regions, performing worse than countries like Bangladesh, which ranks 99th globally.

Q12: What are the economic implications of gender inequality in India? 

A: Gender inequality hampers economic growth and societal development, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions.

Addressing Gender Inequality

Q13: What measures can India take to reduce gender inequality?

A: Comprehensive measures are needed across education, health, economic participation, and political representation to effectively reduce gender gaps.

Q14: Has India made any progress in closing the gender gap? 

A: Despite some improvements, particularly in economic participation, significant gender gaps remain, and progress is slow.

This FAQ blog provides students preparing for competitive examinations with a succinct overview of the current state of gender inequality in India and its broader economic and social implications. Understanding these issues is crucial for comprehensive exam preparation and informed discussions.