India ranks a poor 114th in gender equality

The country ranks in the bottom half, among 134 countries, in terms of gender equality in the latest ranking that assesses the distribution of resources and opportunities among males and females around the world

Slipping one place from last year, India has cornered the 114th position in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) ‘The Global Gender Gap Index 2009’ ranking. India ranked 114th in 2007 too; it cornered 98th place in 2006.

The WEF’s annual ranking, released on October 28, 2009, attempts to assess “how well countries are dividing their resources and opportunities among their male and female populations, regardless of the overall levels of these resources and opportunities”.

Along with India, other Asian countries like Korea (115), Iran (128) and Pakistan (132) continue to hold some of the lowest positions in the rankings that are led by Iceland and three more Nordic nations -- Finland (2), Norway (3) and Sweden (4) -- at the top, and New Zealand in fifth spot. Other countries in the top ten include South Africa (6), Denmark (7), Ireland (8), the Philippines (9), and Lesotho (10).

The United Kingdom ranks 15th while the United States is in 31st spot -- three spots lower than it was last year. Though placed way ahead of India, neighbouring China has dropped to 60th position from 57 last year. Among other BRIC nations, Russia ranks 51st while Brazil is in 82nd spot.

“While India, Iran and Pakistan perform very poorly on the economic, education and health sub-indexes, their overall scores are partially bolstered by relatively good performances on political empowerment,” the WEF said.

Stressing that certain religions and cultural norms around the world prevent women from attaining equal status in society, a top UN official cited India as an example saying that the government was making tremendous efforts to uplift the better half of its population.

“You find countries like India where there are traditional practices and yet the state in its approach towards women has always held equality as a basis,” Asma Jahangir, UN special rapporteur on religious freedom, said.

The WEF says the index scores are meant to indicate the percentage of gender gap that has been closed. Women entering senior official, managerial and legislator roles, gains for women in parliament, and women ministers in the new government helped close the gender gap in the country. That means a higher score on the index represents a more gender-equal society, at least according to this methodology.

“Girls and women make up one half of the world’s population, and without their engagement, empowerment and contribution we cannot hope to achieve a rapid economic recovery nor effectively tackle global challenges such as climate change, food security and conflict,” Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman, WEF, said. “The Forum works year-round with leaders on ways to close gender gaps through its Women Leaders and Gender Parity Programme, and this report underpins their work.”

The Global Gender Parity Group, a community of highly influential leaders from business, politics, academia, media and civil society -- 50% women and 50% men -- seeks to share best practices and identify strategies to optimise the use of talent.

“Out of the 115 countries covered in the report since 2006, more than two-thirds have posted gains in overall index scores, indicating that the world in general has made progress towards equality between men and women, although there are countries that continue to lose ground. We have included a section on the dynamics of the gender gap and found that progress is achieved when countries find ways to make marriage and motherhood compatible with the economic participation of women,” said co-author Ricardo Hausmann, director of the Centre for International Development at Harvard University, USA.

The Forum continues to expand geographic coverage in the report. Featuring a total of 134 countries, this year’s report provides insights into the gaps between women and men in over 93% of the world’s population. Thirteen out of the 14 variables used to create the index are from publicly available hard data indicators from international organisations such as the International Labour Organisation, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Health Organisation.

Some notable facts:

• Among the 134 countries covered in this report, Ireland has the lowest maternal mortality rate (1 death among 100,000 live births) while Chad has the highest maternal mortality rate (1,500 deaths among 100,000 live births). Twenty-four countries have a maternal mortality rate of greater than 500 deaths per 100,000 live births.
• Annually, more than half-a-million women and girls die during pregnancy and childbirth; 3.7 million newborns die within their first 28 days.
• 99% of maternal deaths occur in developing countries. Half of these occur in sub-Saharan Africa and another third in South Asia.
• A woman in a least developed country is 300 times more likely to die from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth than a woman in an industrialised country, in her lifetime.
• Maternal and newborn health are intimately linked. Children who have lost their mothers are four times more likely to die prematurely than those who have not.
• It is estimated that for every woman who dies, another 20 suffer from illness or disability as a result of pregnancy or childbirth -- around 10 million women a year.
• Many of these women not only face discomfort and emotional distress but are shunned by their families.
• Every year, about 1 million children are left motherless and vulnerable. They are less likely to attend school, which, in turn, means that they risk a life living in poverty as adults.
• Approximately 80% of maternal deaths could be averted if women had access to essential maternity and basic healthcare services.
• The five major direct causes of maternal death in developing countries are severe bleeding, infection, hypertension, complications from unsafe abortions, and prolonged/obstructed labour.
• About 20% of maternal deaths have indirect causes that complicate pregnancy or childbirth, such as malaria, anaemia, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS.
• Another serious factor is insufficient access for women and girls to nutritious food.
• Weak healthcare systems often do not prioritise women’s health.
• Lack of skilled health workers to support a woman through pregnancy, childbirth and post-natal care. There is evidence that worker numbers and quality are positively associated with maternal survival.

(source:The New York Times, October 29, 2009
Press Trust of India, October 28, 2009)