Are Global Indices Truly Reflecting Women's Progress?

 

In the 21st century, gender equality is no longer just a buzzword but a global goal woven into the fabric of development agendas. On International Women’s Day—celebrated every March 8—nations reflect on their strides and shortfalls in achieving this ideal. Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG-5), aiming for gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls by 2030, has made the role of global indices even more critical. These indices offer a comprehensive mirror reflecting the world's efforts—or lack thereof—in closing the gender gap.

Key Global Indices Measuring Gender Equality

Index	Publisher	Focus Areas	India’s Performance
Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI)	World Economic Forum	Economy, Education, Health, Politics	129/146
Gender Inequality Index (GII)	UNDP	Health, Empowerment, Labour Market	108/193
Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI)	UNDP	Social beliefs affecting politics, economy, education, integrity	Bias at 99.22%
Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI)	UNDP and UN Women	Health, Education, Inclusion, Decision-Making, Violence	Score: 0.52
Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI)	UNDP and UN Women	Health, Knowledge, Financial Inclusion, Decision-Making	Score: 0.560

1. Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI)

Published by the World Economic Forum, the GGGI evaluates gender parity across four dimensions: Economic Participation, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment. The closer a country's score is to 1, the better its gender parity.

·         Top Performers: Iceland (93.5%), Finland, Norway.

·         India’s Ranking: 129 out of 146 countries (18th from the bottom).

Despite India's minor improvement from 127 in 2023 to 129 in 2024, there is still a long journey in achieving gender equality.

2. Gender Inequality Index (GII)

The UNDP's GII measures disparities across reproductive health, empowerment, and labour market participation. A score closer to 0 means greater equality.

·         India’s Score: 0.437 (better than the global average of 0.462 and South Asia’s 0.478).

·         India’s Rank: 108 out of 193 countries.

India's improving performance is encouraging but highlights that substantial efforts are still necessary.

3. Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI)

Social attitudes shape women’s realities. The GSNI, also from UNDP, measures societal biases against women.

·         A shocking 99.22% of people in India harbor some form of bias against women.

·         Globally, nearly 9 out of 10 individuals exhibit gender bias.

This entrenched mindset continues to impede genuine progress toward equality despite policy advancements.

4. Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI)

Developed jointly by UNDP and UN Women, the WEI assesses women’s access and agency across key domains.

·         India’s Score: 0.52 (out of 1).

While halfway to full empowerment, India's WEI score signifies that targeted interventions are necessary, especially in areas like violence against women and decision-making.

5. Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI)

Another effort by UNDP and UN Women, the GGPI evaluates women’s achievements relative to men’s.

·         India’s GGPI Score: 0.560.

A score below 1 indicates that, on average, women still lag behind men across life, education, financial inclusion, and participation dimensions.

Conclusion

While India has made notable strides in improving its gender indices, the data clearly indicates that achieving full gender equality remains a work in progress. Systemic changes, education reforms, policy shifts, and, most importantly, changing social norms are crucial steps to realizing the vision of SDG-5 by 2030.

Continued focus on these global indices not only helps track progress but also serves as a guiding beacon for policymakers, educators, and civil society to build a truly gender-equal world.

References:

·         World Economic Forum. (2024). Global Gender Gap Report.

·         United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2022-2023). Human Development Report.

·         UNDP and UN Women. (2023). Gender Social Norms Index and Women’s Empowerment Reports