WEF Gender Gap Index: India slips to 112th rank, in bottom 5 on health, economic fronts

News:World Economic Forum(WEF) has released the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2019.

Facts:

About Global gender gap Index:

• The Global gender gap Index is published annually by the World Economic Forum(WEF) since 2006.
• The report ranks 153 countries on their progress towards gender parity in four dimensions namely (a)Economic Participation and Opportunity, (b)Educational Attainment ((c)Health and Survival and (d)Political Empowerment. 
• In addition,this year’s report examines gender gap prospects in the professions of the future.

Global Scenario:

• Iceland was ranked first as the most appropriate country for women representation followed by Norway, Finland and Sweden.
• Apart from that, China ranked 106th, Bangladesh at 50th, Brazil at 92nd, Nepal at 101st, Indonesia at 85th and Sri Lanka at 102nd.
• The report highlights that as per the present scenario, workplace inequality will not be erased until the year 2276. 
• The report also said that it will take 95 years to close the political gender gap as women hold 25.2% of parliamentary seats worldwide.

Index on India:

• India has been ranked at 112th in the Global gender gap Index 2019.In 2018,India was on the 108th position.
• India’s rank has worsened due to widening disparity in terms of women’s health and survival and economic participation.
• India has slipped to 150th place on health and survival, 112th on educational attainment and 149th in economic participation.
• The report has said that there are very few economic opportunities for women in India.It is 34.5% in India, 32.7% in Pakistan, 27.3%in Yemen and 22.7% in Iraq.
• It also highlights that India has a very low (13.8 percent) women representation on company boards.