Source: The post India must prioritise gender equality for national progress has been created, based on the article “View India’s Gender Gap Report ranking as a warning” published in “The Hindu” on 12th July 2025
UPSC Syllabus Topic: GS Paper1-Social empowerment
Context: India is emerging as a global economic and digital power, yet it remains among the lowest-ranked nations in gender equality, as shown in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2025. The report exposes deep-rooted structural issues that hinder women’s participation and national progress.
For detailed information on India needs full gender parity to move forward confidently read this article here
Persistent Gender Inequality in Key Sectors
- Low Global Ranking Reflects Deep Disparities: India ranks 131 out of 148 countries, performing poorly in economic participation and health and survival. These failures are not only social but reflect serious structural challenges holding back development.
- Health Gaps Undermine Women’s Well-being: Despite improvements in education, women’s health remains neglected. The sex ratio at birth is still highly skewed, and healthy life expectancy for women is lower than for men, indicating a failure in providing reproductive and preventive care.
- Anaemia and Poor Health Outcomes: A striking 57% of women aged 15–49 are anaemic (NFHS-5), reducing their ability to study, work, or safely bear children. This problem, largely preventable, highlights a national failure to prioritise women’s health in development planning.
Economic Exclusion and Missed Growth Potential
- Stagnant Female Workforce Participation: India ranks 143rd in Economic Participation and Opportunity. Women earn less than one-third of men and are still not entering the labour force in large numbers. Despite a 2015 projection that closing the gender gap could add $770 billion to GDP by 2025, this potential remains unrealised.
- Unpaid Work and Invisible Labour: Most women remain confined to informal or subsistence work. Their massive contribution to unpaid care work, almost seven times more than men (Time Use Survey), is invisible in national statistics and under-supported in public policy.
- Neglected Care Infrastructure: There is minimal investment in childcare, elder care, or maternity services, making it hard for women to participate in the workforce. This omission shows both a gender bias and an economic oversight.
Need for Policy Recognition and Investment
- Time to Value Unpaid Care Work: Governments must integrate unpaid care work into economic policy via time-use surveys, gender budgeting, and direct investment. Countries like Uruguay and South Korea offer successful models for integrating the care economy into development plans.
- Holistic Policy Measures Are Essential: India already has policy frameworks and slogans. What it lacks is real investment in public health, care services, and support systems that treat women as contributors, not just recipients.
Demographic Shifts and the Care Economy
- Rising Elderly Population and Women’s Role: By 2050, nearly 20% of India’s population will be senior citizens, most of them older women. With fertility rates falling below replacement level, the working-age population will shrink, while care demands rise.
- Economic Growth Requires Women’s Inclusion: Excluding women from the workforce will increase the dependency ratio, burdening fewer workers and threatening fiscal stability. Gender equality is now an economic and demographic imperative, not just a social goal.
Conclusion
The Global Gender Gap Report is more than a ranking—it is a warning. Unless India places gender equality at the core of its economic strategy, it risks losing the very gains that have propelled it onto the world stage.
Question for practice:
Examine how gender inequality in health, unpaid care work, and economic participation affects India’s overall development and demographic future.
