India’s Gender Gap: WEF 2025 Report Analysis

I. Report Highlights

• Global Rank: 131/148 (↓ from 127 in 2024)
• Critical Weaknesses:
  • Economic Participation: 143rd
  • Health & Survival: Severely low
• Key Data:
  • 57% women (15-49 yrs) anaemic (NFHS-5/6)
  • Women earn 1/3rd of men’s income
  • Perform 7x more unpaid care work (Time Use Survey)
  • Skewed sex ratio at birth → son preference

II. Structural Challenges

Domain	Key Issues	Impact
Health	• ↓ Healthy life expectancy • Inadequate reproductive healthcare	Limits economic participation
Economy	• 19% FLFPR (PLFS 2024) • Underrepresentation in leadership	GDP loss: $770bn (McKinsey)
Demography	• Fertility rate below replacement • Elderly to double by 2050	Rising dependency ratio

III. Root Causes

1. Cultural Barriers: Deep-rooted son preference
2. Policy Implementation Gaps:
   • Underfunded primary healthcare (rural women worst-hit)
   • Unpaid work excluded from GDP accounting
3. Economic Systems: Lack of care infrastructure (child/elder care)

IV. Solutions Framework

• Immediate:

  • Scale up Anaemia Mukt Bharat & POSHAN 2.0
  • Universalize maternity benefits (Code on Social Security)

• Structural Reforms:

  • Paid parental leave + Affordable childcare (Mission Shakti)
  • Recognize unpaid work in GDP (NITI Aayog 2025 proposal)
  • Fast-track Women’s Reservation Act (128th CAA)

• Long-term:

  • Gender Budgeting in all schemes
  • Demographic Planning: Skill women for aging society

• Case Studies:

  • Kerala Paradox: High literacy but FLFPR 25% → education ≠ economic empowerment
  • SHG Success: 83 lakh groups → boosted women’s agency (e.g., Kudumbashree)

Quote:
"India’s demographic dividend will become a demographic tax without gender-inclusive growth."