🚨 Where Does India Lag in Gender Metrics?

India has slipped two ranks to 131 out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index — a stark reminder of the persistent gaps in gender equity.

The Index measures gender parity across four key dimensions:

✅ Economic participation

✅ Educational attainment

✅ Health and survival

✅ Political empowerment

While India has seen some progress in education and health indicators, our fall in rankings is largely due to deterioration in women’s political empowerment. Despite landmark moves like the Nari Shakti Act, which mandates 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, challenges remain:

🔹 Proxy representation: In many local bodies, power often lies with male relatives, not the elected women.

🔹 Tokenism: Political parties meet quotas on paper but limit women’s real influence and leadership roles.

🔹 Patriarchal barriers: Deep-rooted societal attitudes undermine women’s confidence and participation.

🔹 Economic dependence: Without economic independence, many women struggle to contest elections meaningfully.

🔹 Safety concerns & harassment: Persistent threats discourage women from entering or continuing in politics.

Reservation is a necessary first step, but not sufficient on its own. True empowerment requires:

1. Building women’s leadership capacity,

2. Ensuring genuine inclusion in decision-making,

3. Addressing socio-cultural biases,

4. Promoting economic independence,

5. Reforming electoral processes to level the playing field.

As India celebrates progress, we must also recognize that achieving substantial gender parity in politics demands comprehensive, sustained efforts beyond reservation.

Let’s champion policies and cultural change that enable women to not just occupy seats, but lead with authority and impact. 💪

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