India’s Gender Parity Paradox

India’s rank in the Global Gender Gap Index 2025 released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) dropped by 2 positions, now standing at 131 out of 148 countries. While marginal gains were noted in economic participation and education, the sharp decline in political empowerment pulled down India's overall gender parity score to 64.1%, one of the lowest in South Asia.

Mixed Performance Across Dimensions

• Economic Participation – Incremental Gains: India improved its score in economic participation and opportunity by +0.9 percentage points. The parity in earned income increased from 6% to 29.9%, and labour force participation held at 45.9%, its highest so far.
• Educational Attainment – Stable Progress: India maintained near parity in primary and secondary enrolments. Progress was noted in female literacy, helping marginally push the subindex score upward.
• Health & Survival – Persistent Challenges: India continues to score poorly in sex ratio at birth, a long-standing structural concern. While life expectancy for women is stable, deep-rooted socio-cultural issues remain unaddressed.

Political Empowerment as the Weakest Link

• Decline in Parliamentary Representation: Women’s representation in Parliament fell from 14.7% to 13.8%. This marks the second consecutive annual decline, impacting the political subindex adversely.
• Shrinking Ministerial Participation: The percentage of women in ministerial positions declined from 5% in 2023 to 5.6% in 2025, further highlighting the lack of political space for women.
• Delayed Implementation of Women’s Reservation: Although the Women’s Reservation Act was passed in 2023, its actual implementation is deferred to 2029, post the Census and delimitation exercise, delaying institutional reform.

The Road to Gender Equity

• Beyond Index Rankings – Structural Reforms Needed: Climbing global indices should not be the end goal. Institutional change, political will, and societal transformation are crucial for real parity.
• Political Parties and Voluntary Action: There is no legal barrier preventing political parties from fielding more female candidates now. Proactive internal reforms could fast-track representation even before 2029.
• Bridging Policy-Implementation Gap: India’s challenge is not the absence of laws, but the ineffective operationalisation of existing gender policies. Comprehensive monitoring and cross-sectoral integration are essential.

Practice Question:

Q. India’s continued poor performance in the Global Gender Gap Index reflects deeper structural barriers to gender equality, especially in political representation. Critically evaluate in the context of recent legislative developments and implementation challenges.