22 Jul WOMEN EMPOWERMENT GAP
This article covers “Daily Current Affairs” and the topic details “Women Empowerment Gap”. The topic “Women Empowerment Gap” has relevance in the Social Justice section of the UPSC CSE exam.
For Prelims:
Key Findings of the Report?
For Mains:
GS 2: Social Justice
Recommendations for Comprehensive Policy Action?
Indian Initiatives to Reduce Gender Gap?
About UN Women?
Why in the news?
Only an abysmal 1 percent of women across the world live in countries that have managed to achieve both high women empowerment and gender parity, according to a new report by the United Nations.
Key Findings of the Report:
- Global Women’s Empowerment: Only 1% of women globally live in countries with high women’s empowerment and gender parity.
- Male-Dominated Leadership: Leadership roles and decision-making remain predominantly male-dominated, restricting opportunities for women.
- Women Achieving Full Potential: On average, women achieve only 60% of their full potential, according to the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI).
- Gender Gap in Human Development: Women lag behind men by 28% across key dimensions of human development, as measured by the Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI).
- Lack of Complete Empowerment: In the comprehensive analysis of 114 countries, it was found that none of them have achieved complete women’s empowerment or gender parity.
- Low Women’s Empowerment Worldwide: The vast majority of women worldwide, over 90%, live in countries where women’s empowerment is categorized as low or moderate, and where progress towards achieving gender parity is also limited or moderate.
- Challenges in Highly Developed Countries: Gender equality challenges persist even in highly developed countries. Over 85 countries, including more than half in the high or very high human development categories, show low or moderate women’s empowerment and gender parity.
- Economic Progress Not Enough: Economic progress alone does not ensure gender equality.
- Gender Gap in India: India has low women’s empowerment and gender parity despite moderate human development, highlighting the need for concerted efforts to bridge the gender gap and uplift women’s status.
- Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: Gender equality alone does not guarantee women’s empowerment. No country with a gender gap has achieved high women’s empowerment. About 8% of women live in countries with low empowerment but high gender parity.
Recommendations for Comprehensive Policy Action:
- Health Policies: Governments should support and promote universal access to sexual and reproductive health for all.
- Equality in Education: In the digital age, empowering women and girls can be achieved by focusing on reducing disparities in skills and the quality of education, particularly in STEM fields.
- Work-life Balance and Support for Families: Investing in policies and services that promote work-life balance is crucial to empower women and support their participation in the workforce.
- Women’s Equal Participation: Establish targets and action plans to achieve gender parity in all spheres of public life, while eliminating discriminatory laws and regulations that hold women back.
- Violence Against Women: It is essential to implement a range of measures that focus on prevention of violence, changing social norms, and eliminating discriminatory laws and policies.
The Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI):
- The WEI is a composite index developed by UN Women and UNDP.
- It measures women’s empowerment across five dimensions; life and good health, education, skill-building and knowledge, labor and financial inclusion, participation in decision-making, and freedom from violence.
- The WEI captures women’s power and freedom to make choices and seize life opportunities.
- It serves as a baseline for monitoring progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.
The Global Gender Parity Index (GGPI):
- The GGPI is a composite index that assesses gender disparities in key dimensions of human development, including health, education, inclusion, and decision-making.
- It reflects the status of women relative to men across different contexts and dimensions, highlighting the multidimensional and interrelated nature of gender equality.
Indian Initiatives to Reduce Gender Gap in Social, Economic, and Political Life:
Economic Participation, Health and Survival:
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Ensures the protection, survival, and education of the girl child.
- Mahila Shakti Kendra: Empowers rural women with opportunities for skill development and employment.
- Rashtriya Mahila Kosh: Provides micro-credit at concessional terms to poor women for various livelihood and income-generating activities.
- Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: Empowers girls economically by opening bank accounts for them.
- Female Entrepreneurship: Initiatives like Stand-Up India and Mahila e-Haat support women entrepreneurs and SHGs (Self-Help Groups).
Education:
- Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya: Schools opened in Educationally Backward Blocks (EBBs) to improve girls’ education.
Political Participation:
- Political Reservation: 33% of seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions reserved for women.
- Capacity Building of Elected Women Representatives: Empowering women to participate effectively in governance processes.
These initiatives aim to address gender disparities in various aspects of life and foster women’s empowerment and gender parity in India.
UN Women
- UN Women established in 2010 by the UN General Assembly to advance women’s rights and needs globally.
- Supports UN Member States in achieving gender equality and setting global standards.
- Collaborates with governments and civil society to design and implement beneficial laws, policies, programs, and services for women and girls.
- Focuses on four strategic priorities:
- Women’s leadership and political participation.
- Women’s economic empowerment.
- Ending violence against women.
- Peace, security, and humanitarian action.
Q.1 Which of the following gives ‘Global Gender Gap Index’ ranking to the countries of the world?
(a) World Economic Forum
(b) UN Human Rights Council
(c) UN Women
(d) World Health Organization
ANSWER: (a)
Q.2 What are the four strategic priorities of UN Women to accelerate progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment worldwide?
(a) Women’s economic empowerment, sustainable development, healthcare improvement, and education equality.
(b) Ensuring women’s access to technology, promoting cultural diversity, eradicating child labor, and fostering environmental conservation.
(c) Women’s leadership and political participation, women’s economic empowerment, ending violence against women, and peace, security, and humanitarian action.
(d) Advancing women’s access to finance, promoting gender-responsive budgeting, improving maternal healthcare, and ensuring equal pay for equal work.
ANSWER: (c)
Q.3 Discuss the major challenges in achieving women’s empowerment and gender equality globally, and propose comprehensive strategies that governments and stakeholders can adopt to overcome these challenges
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