Global Gender Gap Index 2025
India's slippage to 131st out of 148 countries in the 2025 Global Gender Gap Index marks a concerning setback in its pursuit of gender equality. While the country has made strides in economic participation, education, and health, the decline in political empowerment has significantly dragged down its overall score.
India's drop in the 2025 index is primarily due to declining political empowerment indicators:
Percentage of Women in Parliament: The number of women MPs in Lok Sabha has fallen from 14.4% (78 MPs in 2024) to 13.6% (74 MPs in 2025).
Share of Women in Ministerial Roles: The percentage of women holding ministerial roles has also declined from 6.45% to 5.56%, further worsening the country’s ranking on political empowerment.
This decline in representation in decision-making roles highlights a structural issue in women’s political participation, despite the growing number of women voters.
Despite these legislative advances, women’s representation remains low:
Lok Sabha: Women make up only 13.6% of Lok Sabha members, with the 2024 election seeing 74 women MPs out of 543 total.
State Assemblies: Women hold just 9% of MLA seats across states. Chhattisgarh has the highest share at 18%, while states like Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram have very low or zero female representation.
This reflects the slow pace of progress despite initial optimism surrounding the Women’s Reservation Bill.
The Women’s Reservation Bill (2023), which reserves 33% of seats in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, promises to significantly increase women’s political representation once it’s fully implemented. However, the law is not set to take effect until 2029 due to a combination of factors:
Census and Delimitation: The bill’s implementation depends on the completion of the next Census and delimitation process, making 2029 the earliest possible rollout.
If it goes ahead in 2029, it would raise women’s representation in national politics to at least 33%, potentially shifting India’s rankings in global gender empowerment indices.
Higher Winning Percentage: Despite lower nomination rates, women have historically had a higher average winning percentage than men.
Low Nomination Rates: Women make up only 8-9% of major party candidates, suggesting that structural barriers, internal party dynamics, and outdated assumptions continue to hinder women’s participation in politics.
For long-term change, it’s not enough to reserve seats; parties must rethink their nomination strategies and provide women with better opportunities to contest in winnable constituencies.
Despite the surge in women voters, there has been little correlation with an increase in women candidates. Political parties continue to field women in reserved SC/ST constituencies instead of stronghold constituencies where they are more likely to win, citing lack of "winnability" for women in such areas.
While female voters do not vote based solely on gender, there is a growing disconnect:
Women’s preferences in elections lean toward performance and policies over identity.
Gross Enrolment Ratio: The female gross enrolment ratio at the elementary level stands at 94.32%, slightly outpacing boys at 89.28%. At the secondary level, 81.32% of girls are enrolled, compared to 78% of boys.
Literacy Rates: Women's literacy has increased dramatically from just 9% at independence to 77% today, signaling a significant achievement in closing the education gap.
Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY): 56% of accounts under PMJDY are held by women, providing them with greater access to banking, savings, and credit.
Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT): DBT initiatives, like Ladli Behna Yojana, have ensured that welfare funds directly reach women, empowering them financially, especially in rural areas.
Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013: Strengthened penalties for sexual assault and harassment, emphasizing zero tolerance for gender-based violence.
Maternity Leave: The introduction of 26 weeks of paid maternity leave in 2017 has been crucial in promoting work-life balance for women in the workforce.
Breaking Barriers: Women like Charu Sinha (first woman to head four sectors of the CRPF) and Justice Nagarathna (first female Chief Justice of India) are breaking barriers in leadership roles across defense, judiciary, and corporate sectors.
Corporate Representation: Nearly 97% of NSE-listed companies have appointed at least one woman director by March 2025.
Maternal Health: Programs like Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) and Ayushman Bharat have helped reduce maternal mortality rates by over 50% in the last decade, and 49% of health insurance beneficiaries are women.
MGNREGA: Over 57.47% of workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are women, offering them equal wage provisions and empowering them economically.
Government Schemes: Programs like Stand Up India and MUDRA have significantly increased women’s participation in entrepreneurship, with 68% of Stand Up India loans going to women.
Despite initiatives like the Women’s Reservation Act, political participation remains low, with only 13.8% of seats in Parliament occupied by women, and 5.6% of ministerial roles are held by women.
Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for women in India stands at a low 41.7%, with many women working in informal sectors where social security is minimal.
Unpaid Work: Women contribute around ₹19 lakh crore worth of unpaid labor annually, and closing the gender employment gap could add $770 billion to India's GDP by 2025.
Social Expectations: Deeply ingrained societal norms restrict women’s mobility and career progression, particularly in rural India, limiting their opportunities for leadership and economic advancement.
Women in India earn 30-40% less than their male counterparts in similar roles, particularly in urban and high-skill sectors.
Although women’s educational attainment has improved, the disconnect between education and employment persists, especially in fields like STEM, where women represent just 27% of the workforce.
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We provide offline, online and recorded lectures in the same amount.
Every aspirant is unique and the mentoring is customised according to the strengths and weaknesses of the aspirant.
In every Lecture. Director Sir will provide conceptual understanding with around 800 Mindmaps.
We provide you the best and Comprehensive content which comes directly or indirectly in UPSC Exam.
Offline/Online Class