Pakistan ranks 121 on the Gender Inequality Index ahead of India and Afghanistan but trailing behind Bangladesh, according to United National Development Programme’s latest Human Development Report (HDR) 2015.
Among South Asian countries, India ranks 130 and fares better than only Afghanistan which is at 152. While Bangladesh ranks 111 of 155.
The index is calculated on the basis of determinants such as reproductive health measured by maternal mortality ratio and adolescent birth rates, empowerment quantified by share of parliamentary seats and attainment in education and economic activity, which is measured by labour market participation rate.
Although Pakistan and Bangladesh had a lower Human Development Index (HDI) than India, they still performed better on gender equality. Pakistan is placed 147 of 188 on the Human Development Index (HDI) with Bangladesh at 142 and India at 130.
The parameters that reflect on the gender inequality India faces are healthcare, empowerment and economic activities.
In comparison to Pakistan that has 19.7 per cent of women in parliament, India has only 12.2 per cent, while Bangladesh has 20 per cent. Further, labour force participation in Bangladesh is 57 per cent and 27 per cent in India. In terms of healthcare, India has a high maternal mortality rate of 190 deaths per 100,000 live births, whereas, Pakistan and Bangladesh’s combined maternal mortality rate is 170 pregnancy-related deaths per 100,000 births.
This shows India’s low score on all indexes that places it far below the South Asian average.
The only parameter where India fares slightly better is the adolescent birth rate indicator which is the number of births per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19 years.
A lower adolescent birth rate indicates a female population that is more in control of its choices when it comes to marrying and conceiving late. However, even though on this index it does better than Bangladesh, its score is still lower than Pakistan’s.
