Latest news with #GlobalGenderGapReport2025
Mint
a day ago
- Business
- Mint
The salary concern running through female employment
The Global Gender Gap Report 2025, released by the World Economic Forum earlier this month, ranks India at 131 out of 148 countries on its Gender Gap Index. The gender differential in the labour force participation rate (LFPR), or the share of the population that is working or actively seeking work, is one of the metrics it considers for the report. For India, it shows this at 76.4% for males and 35.1% for females, or a differential of 41.3 percentage points. Over the last decade, government data shows greater participation by women in the labour force, but the quality of work—and, by extension, earnings—remains a concern. Also Read: Marriage changes women's lives—men's, not so much. The data shows it. India's female LFPR has been lower, whether compared with neighbours like Sri Lanka or with fast-growing countries in Asia, or with developed regions. The LFPR of poorer countries such as Bangladesh has risen above India's in recent years. At the same time, India's female LFPR has increased in recent years. The increase is more in rural areas as compared to urban areas. Over the last decade or so, one of the weakest aspects of India's labour market seemed to be finally showing signs of improvement. The proportion of the female population that is engaged in work other than domestic and home care began to rise. For a segment of the population that, to date, had been largely engaged in unpaid domestic work, this was a potentially major step. But underlying the rise in female participation in the labour market are deeper concerns about the quality of work being generated, and how it is being captured. Work without money In terms of type of employment, the biggest rise in women workers has been of self-employed workers. This covers a wide range of incomes and economic classes—from women running their own companies to those who run a kirana shop. Crucially, the self-employed segment now also includes women who do unpaid work in household enterprises—for example, in a family-owned kirana shop—raising questions over the quality of employment. Also Read: Where are the women? Why India's trading floors remain a male domain Self-employed women in these two categories accounted for about 66% of women workers in 2023-24, as compared to about 49% in 2017-18. In contrast, the number of women who are salaried has risen in absolute terms by around 10 million during this period. However, the share of the salaried among women workers has fallen by around 5.5 percentage points—from 24.3% in 2017-18 to 18.7% in 2023-24. Salary perks While self-employment is often praised in terms of female entrepreneurship, the reality is that the vast majority of self-employment, especially for women, is of low quality in terms of earnings. In 2023-24, average monthly earnings of self-employed women were lower than even those women workers who work in casual labour, and much lower than women who work as salaried employees. Irrespective of gender, it is salaried employees who earn the most among the three categories of workers. The reality of 'entrepreneurship', for both men and women, is one of highly insecure, low-paying work—for example, running a small shop or engaging in piece work. In the current 'gig' economy, even those who act as couriers or food delivery workers are considered 'self-employed'. In general, they are not covered by even minimal labour legislation. In contrast, even a low-end salaried job tends to pay more. Also Read: The unpaid burden: For Indian women, degrees don't ease household chores State of decline In 2023-24, only 18.7% women workers were salaried. This figure exceeds 30% in only eight states or Union territories: in descending order of share, Chandigarh, Delhi, Puducherry, Goa, Kerala, Punjab, Haryana, and Tamil Nadu. At the other end, there are two populous, but poorer northern states, namely Bihar (5.5%) and Uttar Pradesh (7.9%). Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are also among the 22 states that have seen the share of salaried among women workers decline between 2017-18 and 2023-24. Even in an affluent state like Delhi, the decline in women in salaried jobs has been 7 percentage points. States and Union territories that have seen an increase in the proportion of salaried women are Chandigarh, Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Haryana. The big challenge in the labour market facing the government is to accelerate not just absolute numbers, but also the share of higher-quality jobs. Salaried jobs may be boring, but they are better than the alternatives for now, at least. is a database and search engine for public data.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Unfinished business of gender parity in India
Here is a truth that often goes unnoticed: India needs women to be at parity to progress. Or it will get left behind. It is already getting left behind. This is the sad inference that emerges from the dry statistics in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, released recently. It ranks India a dismal 131st out of 148 countries — below every other Brics nation and trailing most of its South Asian neighbours. The fall is not so much due to regression as because other countries are closing their gender gaps faster. Our catch-up pace needs acceleration. There is good news and bad news. The good news is that there have been visible gains in education and political visibility. At 97%, women's educational attainment is approaching parity. India's political empowerment score is higher than China's and close to Brazil's — thanks perhaps to the panchayati raj laws that insisted on 33% women's representation. Women have 45% participation in panchayati raj institutions — a genuine contribution to deepening democracy. But, in Parliament, they account for just 14% of members — sadly, the highest it's ever been. Poor economic participation drags India down to among the world's bottom five. In a scenario of high unemployment, men win: The historical female labour force participation rate, the World Bank points out, has declined considerably over the decade, and women contribute less than 20% to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), earn under a third of what men do, and hold only a sliver of decision-making roles. This is not merely a gender issue but one aligned with economic ambition. The McKinsey Global Institute estimates that gender parity in employment could add $770 billion to India's GDP by 2025. At current rates, that could take another 135 years. This isn't just a missed opportunity — it's an economic liability. It should alarm every policymaker into signalling a radical and urgent shift in national priorities to privilege women's participation. No less a person than the Prime Minister has repeatedly acknowledged that progress depends on women-led development. But recognition is only a beginning. Policy and practice designed to ensure women's equal participation in economic, political, and social life must be maximised by both the state and the private sector. Everyone has a role. But, the State has the primary responsibility to showcase transformation. At present, the commitment looks hesitant. In recent years, the pace of inclusion has indeed accelerated, but inclusion is reluctantly conceded. Women made up 41% and 38% of recent recruits to the elite Indian Administrative Service and Indian Foreign Service, respectively — an encouraging uptick. However, their overall representation across both services remains unclear. With less than 3% women in the armed forces and 12% across all police, the bastions of defence and security remain hard to breach. Even apex institutions — tasked with ensuring equality — struggle to show commitment. At its 2021 high, the Supreme Court briefly had four women out of 33 judges; now, it is back to one. The National Human Rights Commission, in all its history, has never had more than one substantive woman member at a time. Even its law requires only 'at least one woman'. There are many pathways to inclusion — some already at work. The expansion of women-led Self-Help Groups, targeted savings schemes, and access to low-interest credit have begun to shift the economic ground. State-backed programmes, from Kerala to Uttar Pradesh, have helped lakhs of rural women move from subsistence to enterprise. Political inclusion too is poised for a jump, pending the census and delimitation needed to activate the long-promised 33% reservation for women in Parliament and assemblies. With millions of women already serving as panchayat representatives, the feeder line already exists. In the UK, Labour's insistence on all-women shortlists drove female representation from under 10% to over 30% in two decades. Systems shape society — and carry its values and biases. Stubborn patriarchal cultures and inherited procedures block inclusion. Institutions often assume male-dominated environments are neutral, fair, and meritocratic. When women demand their social and biological realities be taken into account, it is seen as seeking indulgences. A man's merit is assumed; a woman's presence is often chalked up to tokenism or reservation. That refusal to acknowledge difference is one reason so few women rise to the top. Women make up 38% of subordinate court judges, but only 14% in high courts. In the police, women make up just 8% at the officer level. In the private sector, while women hold around a respectable percentage of positions at the middle management level, fewer than 2% of India's Fortune 500 companies are led by women. Parity is about equality and balance, about agreeing that no one gender should hold more than 50–60% of any space. But the national discourse remains stuck at a ceiling of 33%, as if the demand for equal space and place is itself an impertinence. This comfort with 33% betrays grudging acceptance as well as a settled comfort with unfairness. The slow, incremental pace, often called progress, actually reflects a reluctance to reconfigure spaces for women. The onus is on institutions to change. Inclusion demands that all institutions evolve — urgently and intentionally — to reform today's deficits and create environments that include women. Not partially, not temporarily but fully. Not as a concession but as recompense for a long-denied right. Maja Daruwala is chief editor, India Justice Report. The views expressed are personal.
16-06-2025
- Business
No Improvement for Japan in 2025 Gender Gap Ranking
Japan Data Gender and Sex Politics Society Jun 16, 2025 A drop in the number of women in the cabinet to just two contributed to Japan remaining at 118th in the Global Gender Gap Index for 2025. Japan's position remained unchanged at 118th in the Global Gender Gap Report issued by the World Economic Forum on June 12, 2025, which ranked 148 countries in terms of gender equality. The WEF report analyzes various statistical data on the status of women using four categories: economy, education, health, and politics. The gender gap index is based on 1.00 being the highest possible score, indicating that gender parity has been achieved, while 0.00 means complete gender disparity. Among Group of Seven countries, Britain was ranked the highest in terms of gender equality, leaping ten places to fourth overall. Germany (9) was the next-highest G7 country, followed by Canada (32), France (35), the United States (42), and Italy (85). Japan was the only G7 nation to fail to place within the top 100. Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru's October 2024 cabinet only included two female ministers (10% of the total), which was a significant drop from the five (25%) in Prime Minister Kishida Fumio's cabinet the previous year. This led to Japan dropping in the ranking for politics from 113th to 125th. 2025 Global Gender Gap Index Rankings Created by based on data from the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2025. Data Sources Global Gender Gap Report 2025 from the World Economic Forum, 2025. (Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.) gender women gender equality
What's On
14-06-2025
- Business
- What's On
Big win for women in the UAE: gender parity gains momentum
According to the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, the UAE has climbed from 74th to 69th in global rankings, cementing its place as the regional leader in gender parity. In fact, it's the highest-ranking country in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and that's just the beginning. The UAE also achieved full gender parity in parliamentary representation, joining the ranks of Mexico, Nicaragua, and Rwanda. The country is leading the way in political empowerment across the region, earning a score of 37.2% and ranking 32nd globally in that sub-index. But the momentum doesn't stop at politics. In a global climate where the number of women hired into leadership roles has dropped over the past year, the UAE is going against the grain. LinkedIn's Economic Graph data included in the WEF report shows a 4.5 per cent year-on-year increase in women stepping into leadership roles in the Emirates. Even broader workforce participation is trending up, with overall female hiring seeing a 2 per cent annual growth. The data also revealed a strong edge for women in the UAE when it comes to career readiness. They're up to 28% more likely than men to have multi-domain professional experience, giving them a well-rounded skill set that's perfect for the evolving demands of the AI era. And when it comes to adapting to tech? Female professionals in the UAE are slightly more likely to focus on learning new skills and show more confidence in using AI than their male counterparts. So yes, the global road to gender parity may be long, but the UAE is proving it's ready to lead the way. Image: Archive > Sign up for FREE to get exclusive updates that you are interested in
Express Tribune
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Gender gap crisis
Listen to article Pakistan's rock-bottom ranking in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025 is a damning indictment of the government's claims regarding women's empowerment. Pakistan fared even lower than Iran, which has several social restrictions on women, and war-torn Sudan, where a large share of the women are internally displaced and unable to access proper healthcare or work, while enduring high rates of sexual violence. Among the most telling gaps in the report is that women still account for only 22.8% of the labour force, almost all of which is in agriculture or 'women's work', such as maids and other domestic work for those with less education, or teaching, and occasionally medicine, for educated women. Even here, it is worth noting that women who study medicine are often referred to as "lady doctors", rather than just doctors, in a manner that often comes across as pejorative. Women are also chronically underpaid, with many employers intentionally underpaying white-collar workers because they probably are not their families' breadwinners. As for political participation, the only reason we have any significant political representation for women is because of reserved seats. Currently, only 12 women members of the National Assembly are directly elected, and almost all of them are from political families. While many women in politics have proven themselves to be competent, the fact that they are only allowed into the field if a male relative opens the door is emblematic of problems across society and in all walks of life. Meanwhile, even data for education — which on the face suggests slight improvements in women's enrolment — is skewed by the fact that male enrolment declined, artificially inflating the improvement for girls. Experts believe that improving women's workforce participation alone could increase GDP by 60%. Female participation in politics and society could also improve professional, educational and health outcomes for women. Bridging the gender gap is, thus, not just a women's issue, but of everyone.
