Various global gender indices reveal that India is an underperformer on gender inequality compared to the global averages. Gender gaps persist in labor force participation and income disparities. Women are underrepresented in corporate leadership and entrepreneurship. They also bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work. Political empowerment of women is low, with limited representation in decision-making bodies. Despite progress in financial inclusion, gender gaps persist in access to credit and digital payments. Health and education indicators show mixed progress, with improvements in some areas but challenges remaining.
Efforts are needed to address these gender disparities and promote gender equality in India. Especially since it is observed that the areas in which India has closed the gender gaps -maternal mortality, account ownership and primary education – are areas where major thrust has been provided by Government policy measures.
Authors
Soumya Agrawal
Shravani Prakash