The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) for the Asia-Pacific region released a report in which it said gender inequality in India is extremely high at the workplace and in terms of legal protection and political voice.
Facts from the report:
- The report assessed inequality on the basis of a Gender Parity Score (GPS) that uses 15 indicators of gender equality in work and society.
- With 1.0 signifying parity, India’s score was 0.30 in gender equality at work and 0.78 in legal protection and political voice.
- The report finds India behind the Asia-Pacific average in all four broad categories, but ahead of Bangladesh and Pakistan.
- However it pointed out that India has progressed faster than any other country in the Asia-Pacific region in the last 10 years, primarily due to advances in education and a reduction in maternal mortality.
A Silver Lining in the report:
- Advancing women’s equality in the countries of Asia Pacific, could add $4.5 trillion to their collective GDP annually in 2025, a 12% increase over a business-as-usual GDP trajectory.
- This presumes a best-in-region scenario in which each country matches the rate of progress of the fastest-improving country in its region — China in the case of the Asia-Pacific. If this were achieved, India would add $770 billion in 2025 over and above its business-as-usual GDP, it says.
