Global Gender Gap Index
World Economic Forum index of economic participation, education, health and political empowerment.
Written by Pratidin; every fact checked by a separate review before publishing. How we work
Built from four sub-indices.
Quick recall
- Who publishes the Global Gender Gap Index?
- The World Economic Forum.
- Since when?
- 2006.
- How many sub-indices?
- Four.
- Name them.
- Economic participation, education, health and survival, political empowerment.
- What does a score of 1 mean?
- Full parity.
- Does it measure levels or gaps?
- Gaps between women and men.
Asked before in UPSC
Recurring theme: Gender gaps in economic participation, education, health and political empowerment
Women's social capital complements in advancing empowerment and gender equity. Explain.
Index data on women's economic and political participation give measurable context for the empowerment argument.
India's scores on the four Gender Gap sub-indices show where programme design most needs a gender lens.
The economic participation and opportunity gap in the index is the measure SHG microfinance aims to narrow.
What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?
Weak economic participation and political empowerment scores in the index quantify the continuing challenges.
Direct publisher question: the Global Gender Gap Index is released by the World Economic Forum.
The basics
Why it matters
The Global Gender Gap Index measures gaps between women and men in economic, educational, health and political outcomes. It is published annually by the World Economic Forum.
What it measures
The index combines several dimensions.
- 1Economic participation and opportunityWork, wages, leadership
- 2Educational attainmentLiteracy and enrolment
- 3Health and survivalSex ratio at birth, life expectancy
- 4Political empowermentWomen in parliament and ministries
You now know
- Published by the World Economic Forum since 2006.
- Four sub-indices.
- Scores range from 0 (inequality) to 1 (parity).
- Measures gaps, not absolute levels.
Go deeper
In one line: The Global Gender Gap Index tracks how far women are from parity with men.
Why it matters for UPSC
It is a common reference for gender questions.
The core idea
India's weakest areas are usually economic participation and political empowerment. See Female labour force participation and Sex ratio at birth.
Where to go next
- Female labour force participation: Women in paid work
- Sex ratio at birth: Girls born per boys
In one line: The index is useful for comparisons but sensitive to data choices.
Critique
It measures gaps, so a poor country with equally low outcomes can score well.
India's challenges
Female labour force participation and Sex ratio at birth.
Where to go next
- Female labour force participation: Women in paid work
- Sex ratio at birth: Girls born per boys
Female labour force participation
Women in paid work
In one line: FLFPR is the share of women working or seeking work.
India
It has risen in recent PLFS rounds, largely in rural self-employment.
Barriers
Care work, safety and norms.
Where to go next
- Sex ratio at birth: Girls born per boys
Female labour force participation: every story that connects to it (2)
Sex ratio at birth
Girls born per boys
In one line: Sex ratio at birth measures girls born per 1,000 boys.
Concern
A low ratio signals sex-selective practices.
Law
The PCPNDT Act, 1994 bans sex determination.
Where to go next
- Female labour force participation: Women in paid work
Prelims-style quiz
The Global Gender Gap Report is published by:
- UNDP
- World Economic Forum
- UN Women
- World Bank
Show answer
Answer: (b) World Economic Forum. The WEF.
Which is NOT a sub-index?
- Educational attainment
- Environmental sustainability
- Political empowerment
- Health and survival
Show answer
Answer: (b) Environmental sustainability. Environment is not included.
Consider the following:
1. The index measures gaps rather than levels.
2. A score of 0 means full parity.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?- 1 only
- 2 only
- Both 1 and 2
- Neither 1 nor 2
Show answer
Answer: (a) 1 only. 1 means parity.
The index was first published in:
- 2010
- 2006
- 1990
- 2015
Show answer
Answer: (b) 2006. 2006.