India slips 21 slots on WEF Gender Gap index 2017

India has ranked 108th out of 144 countries on Global Gender Gap Index 2017 released by World Economic Forum (WEF). This year’s rank marks a drop by 21 places as compared to previous year’s ranking.

About Global Gender Gap Index/Report:

• Global Gender Gap report is published annually by World Economic Forum (WEF) since 2006.
• It reflects the state of gender equality in the countries listed on the index.
• The report measures gender gap in countries on four thematic dimensions viz. Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment, Health and Survival, and Political Empowerment.

Highlights of Global Gender Gap Report 2017:

India has performed poorly on three out of the four main dimensions. In Economic Participation and Opportunity India ranked 139th, in Educational Attainment it ranked 112th.

• In Health and Survival it ranked fourth-lowest in the world at 141st position. Over the past decade, India remained world’s least-improved country in this dimension.
• However, in the dimension of Political Empowerment, India maintained its position in Top 20 at 15th rank.
• In India, on an average 66% of women’s work is unpaid, as compared to 12% of men’s.
• Having closed 88% of gender gap, Iceland has topped Global Gender Gap Index 2017. Iceland has been holding the distinction of being world’s most gender-equal country for nine years.
• 2017 is the year, during which global gender gap has widened for the first time since Global Gender Gap Report was first published in 2006. Currently, 68% of the global gender gap has been closed, indicating a marginal widening as compared to 2016 when the gap closed was 68.3%.

Global Gender Gap Index 2017 – Top 10 Countries: