Reference:

• According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2025 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF), India ranks 131st out of 148 countries, a drop from the 129th position in 2024.
• India’s overall gender parity score is 64.1%, slightly lower than 64.4% in 2024.

Key Highlights:

• Published by: World Economic Forum (WEF) annually since 2006.
• Objective: To measure countries’ progress in gender parity across four key dimensions:

1. Economic Participation and Opportunity
2. Educational Attainment
3. Health and Survival
4. Political Empowerment

• Scoring: Ranges from 0 (complete inequality) to 1 (complete equality).
• Global Gender Gap Closed in 2025: 68.8%
• This marks the fastest progress since the COVID-19 pandemic.
• At the current pace, full gender parity will take 123 years.

Top 5 Countries (2025)

India’s Performance (2025)

India Compared to South Asia (2025)

India’s Areas of Progress:

1. Policy and Legislative Reforms

• Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (2023): Reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies.
• Gender-sensitive governance promotion policies.

2. Education and Skill Development

• Schemes like Beti Bachao Beti Padhao and Vigyan Jyoti boosted girls' participation in STEM fields.
• Female GER (Gross Enrollment Ratio): 42.5% (2017–18) → 46.3% (2022–23)

3. Economic Participation

• Female labor force participation: 23.3% (2017–18) → 41.7% (2023–24)
• Initiatives like Stand-Up India, Mahila e-Haat promote women entrepreneurship.

4. Financial Inclusion

• Over 28 crore female Jan Dhan account holders.
• PMJDY, MUDRA, and Startup India have enhanced women's financial empowerment.

5. Health and Reproductive Rights

• Schemes like PM Matru Vandana Yojana and NHM improved maternal care.
• Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR): 174 (2013–15) → 97 (2018–20)

Major Challenges in India:

1. Inequality in Female Labor Force Participation

• PLFS 2023–24: 41.7%, but most women work in the informal sector.
• Lack of workplace safety and childcare services.

2. Inequality and Dropout in Education

• Female literacy ~65% vs Male ~82%
• About 40% of girls aged 15–18 are out of school.
• Lack of menstrual hygiene infrastructure.

3. Unpaid Work and Wage Disparity

• Women spend 289 minutes/day in unpaid domestic work.
• In tech sectors, they earn only 60% of male wages.
• Unpaid work valued at ₹22.7 lakh crore (~7.5% of GDP) remains unrecognized.

4. Policy Implementation Gaps

• Weak last-mile delivery of schemes.
• Lack of gender-sensitive monitoring and awareness.

5. Underrepresentation in Corporate Leadership

• Only 17% women in top corporate roles.
• 20% on board positions.

Major Government Schemes for Gender Equality in India

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) (2015): Focused on girl child education, awareness, and improving sex ratio in low-performing districts.
• Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) (2017): Provides women access to schemes and skill development at village level.
• Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) (2016): Offers free LPG connections to women from poor households.
• Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (2015): Promotes financial savings for girl child education and marriage.
• Mahila e-Haat (2016): Online platform enabling women entrepreneurs to market their products.
• National Policy for Women Empowerment (2001, revised): Framework for comprehensive empowerment of women.
• Women Leadership Development Program: Run by NIRD&PR to train women for leadership and political roles.
• Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) (2017): Provides financial aid to pregnant and lactating mothers.
• One Stop Centre (Sakhi) (2015): Offers legal, medical, and psychological support to violence-affected women.
• Women Helpline (181): 24/7 emergency support for women facing violence or harassment.
• Nari Shakti Puraskar: Annual national award to honor outstanding achievements of women.
• National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM): Promotes employment and self-employment for rural women via SHGs.
• Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) (2019): Ensures free maternal and newborn healthcare services.
• NaMo Drone Didi Yojana (2023): Trains rural women in drone operation to boost agricultural and tech empowerment.
• Gender Budgeting (Since 2005–06): Dedicated budget allocation for women empowerment and gender equality.

World Economic Forum (WEF): General Information

• Established: 1971
• Founder: Prof. Klaus Schwab
• Headquarters: Cologny, Geneva, Switzerland
• Type: Independent, Non-governmental, Non-profit organization
• Objective: Improving the state of the world
• Main Function: Promotes dialogue on global, regional, and industry issues
• Main Event: Davos Annual Meeting (every January in Davos, Switzerland)

Major Reports Published by WEF:

• Global Gender Gap Report – On gender parity
• Global Competitiveness Report – On economic competitiveness
• Global Risks Report – On global challenges and vulnerabilities
• Future of Jobs Report – On emerging jobs and skill trends
• Energy Transition Index – On sustainability and energy transformation

Other Facts:

• Former Name: European Management Forum (1971–1987)
• Renamed as WEF: In 1987
• Does not hold formal decision-making power, but influences global policy dialogues.