NOTE: Read about Index in Prelims Notes.
Reasons for India’s lower ranking:
It was mainly due to low scores in two indicators. They are
- Health and Survival: India ranked 141 at bottom four. It was mainly due to India’s poor sex ratio at birth which still points to a strong preference for sons.
- Economic Participation and Opportunities for Women: India ranked 139, down from 136 last year.
India’s poor performance on economic front: It was due to fact that on an average, a woman in India is estimated to earn less than quarter of annual income earned by a man. She gets paid only 60% of what her male counterpart gets for similar work. Moreover, women account for over third of labour force participation, but their share of daily unpaid work (household chores, childcare etc.) is 65% while it is only 11% for men. Across sectors, only 13% of senior officials, managers and legislators are women.
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