India jumps 14 ranks on Gender Inequality Index 

Rank Improvement: India has risen 14 places on the Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2022, to 108th out of 193 countries, up from 122nd last year.
Score: The country’s GII 2022 score is 0.437, a substantial improvement above 0.490 in 2021.
Consistent Improvement: India’s GII rank has steadily improved over the last decade, rising from 127 in 2014 to 108 by 2022.
Government efforts: The government’s plan for women’s empowerment, which includes policy efforts focused on education, skill development, entrepreneurship, and workplace safety, has helped to accelerate progress.
GII is a composite metric that assesses gender inequality across three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market.
Global Comparison: India’s GII value of 0.437 outperforms the global average of 0.462 and the South Asian average of 0.478.
Challenges: Despite advancements, India still has major gender disparities in labor force participation.
Human Development Index (HDI): India’s HDI rating rose to 134 out of 193 nations in 2022, up from 135 in 2021, reflecting general progress in human development.

Key points:

• India’s ranking on the Gender Inequality Index (GII) 2022 has risen to 108 out of 193 nations, with a score of 0.437.
  This is a substantial improvement from its ranking of 122 in 2021, demonstrating India’s dedication to gender equality.
• Over the last decade, India’s GII ranking has progressively increased, indicating positive progress in women’s empowerment.
• Government measures aimed at education, skill development, entrepreneurship, and occupational safety have all contributed to this progress.
• Despite these gains, problems remain, notably a significant gender gap in labor force participation rates.
  India’s Human Development Index (HDI) ranking has also risen, demonstrating progress in human development.

Impact of Policies:

• The government’s programs have resulted in continuous progress toward women’s empowerment and gender equality.
• Large-scale initiatives for girls’ education, skill development, entrepreneurship encouragement, and workplace safety have been extremely beneficial.
• Policies and laws in these sectors have fueled the government’s ‘women-led development’ goal, aiding India’s progress toward the GII.

Global Context:

• According to the UNDP research, global disparities are rising again, with the gap between the richest and poorest countries widening.
• The paper emphasizes the importance of harnessing interconnections and capacities to address common concerns and ensuring people’s aspirations are satisfied.
• India’s HDI loss owing to inequality is 31.1%, highlighting the need for ongoing efforts to reduce inequality and promote inclusive development.