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As per the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2020 published by the World Economic Forum, India ranks 112 out of 153 countries with a score of 0.668 out of 1

Details of the index

India ranked 108 out of 149 countries with a score of 0.665 as per the Global Gender Gap Index Report 2018. Thus, India’s performance has marginally improved from 0.665 in 2018 to 0.668 in 2020.

Dimensions Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI)

• Economic participation and opportunity
  
• Educational attainment
  
• Health and survival, and
  
• Political empowerment.

As per the computational mechanism of GGGI, highest performance score on each of these four dimensions is 1.
According to the GGGI Report 2020 India has scored 0.354 in economic participation and opportunity, 0.962 in educational attainment, 0.944 in health and survival and 0.411 in political empowerment.

Strategy to improve the index

• Monitoring the performance by engagement with Publishing Agency of GGGI, namely, World Economic Forum
  
• Identification of Reform Areas and Reform Actions in consultation with concerned Ministries and Departments.

Major initiatives taken by Government of India for removing the gender gap

Economic

• Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) ensures the protection, survival and education of the girl child.
• Mahila Shakti Kendra (MSK) aims to empower rural women with opportunities for skill development and employment.
• Working Women Hostel (WWH) ensures the safety and security for working women.
• Scheme for Adolescent Girls aims to empower girls in the age group 11-18 and to improve their social status through nutrition, life skills, home skills and vocational training

Educational Attainment

• Several steps and initiatives have been taken up in school education system such as National Curriculum Framework (NCF) 2005 and flagship programme like Samagra Shiksha and the subsequent Right to Education Act (RTE).
• Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas (KGBVs) have been opened in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs).

Political Participation

• To bring women in the mainstream of political leadership at the grass root level, government has reserved 33% of the seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions for women.
• Capacity Building of Panchayat Stakeholders including Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) of Ministry of Panchayati Raj is conducted with a view to empowering women to participate effectively in the governance processes.

Source: PIB