India ranks 127 out of 146 for gender parity: WEF

The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranked India at 127 out of 146 countries in its global gender parity index, behind countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and Nepal but ahead of Pakistan. Meanwhile, Iceland topped the index as the most gender-equal country in the world for the 14th consecutive year. The Nordic island country reportedly closed over 90% of the gap in gender parity.

India improves ranking from last year 

The WEF's Global Gender Gap Index 2023 said India showed an improvement of eight places and 1.4 percentage points from 2022. It ranked India at 135 last year. The report stated the country had attained parity in education enrollment across all levels. The country has also closed 64.3% of the overall gender gap. However, it achieved only 36.7% parity in economic participation and opportunity.

Iceland tops the for 14th consecutive year

As for India's neighbors, the WEF report placed Bangladesh at 59, Bhutan at 103, China at 107, Sri Lanka at 115, Nepal at 116, and Pakistan at 142. According to the report, Iceland emerged as the most gender-equal country in the world for the 14th consecutive year. The Nordic country is the only country that has closed over 90% of its gender gap.

Proportion of women in senior, technical jobs decreased marginally

While detailing many aspects, the WEF report stated that wage and income parity in India have increased. In contrast, however, the proportion of women in senior and technical jobs in India has decreased marginally since last year. As for political empowerment, India has achieved 25.3% parity, with women constituting 15.1% of parliamentarians—the highest figure for India since the first gender gap report in 2006.

Skewed sex ratio at birth leads to poor health parameter

After over a decade of slow progress, India showed a 1.9 percentage point improvement in the sex ratio at birth, which enhanced parity too. However, the report argued that skewed sex ratios at birth explained Vietnam, Azerbaijan, India, and China's relatively poor overall scores on the health and survival sub-index. The indicator for India is 92.7%, with some improvement over the previous edition.

Know about WEF's Global Gender Gap Report

The Global Gender Gap Report, now in its 17th edition, assesses the evolvement of gender-based disparities in four areas: economic inclusion and opportunity; educational achievement; health and survival; and political empowerment. The report has been tracking progress in reducing these gaps since its launch in 2006 and also investigates the influence of recent global shocks on the labor-market gender gap crisis.