The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2023 assesses the gender parity gap across 146 countries using four key dimensions: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.
Key Findings:
- Global Gender Gap Score: The global gender gap is 68.4% closed in 2023, a modest improvement of 0.3 percentage points from the previous year. At this rate, it will take approximately 131 years to achieve full gender parity (World Economic Forum) (Drishti IAS).
- Top Countries: Iceland remains the most gender-equal country, closing over 90% of its gender gap. Other top-ranking countries include Norway, Finland, and Sweden (World Economic Forum).
- Health and Survival: This gap is 96% closed globally.
- Educational Attainment: 95.2% of the gender gap in education is closed, with complete closure projected in 16 years.
- Economic Participation: Only 60.1% of the gender gap in economic participation is closed, with full closure projected in 169 years.
- Political Empowerment: The most significant gap remains here, with only 22.1% closed and a projected 162 years to reach parity.
India’s Performance:
- Ranking: India improved its ranking from 135th in 2022 to 127th in 2023 out of 146 countries.
- Educational Parity: India has achieved gender parity in enrolment across all education levels.
- Economic Participation: This remains a challenge with only 36.7% parity achieved, highlighting persistent issues in workforce equality (World Economic Forum).
Overall, while there has been progress, significant gaps remain, particularly in economic participation and political empowerment. The report serves as a crucial tool for policymakers and stakeholders to address these disparities and promote gender equality globally.