Global Gender Gap Index

The Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) is an international benchmark developed to measure and compare the extent of gender-based disparities across countries. Introduced by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2006, the index evaluates progress toward gender parity in key areas such as economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment. It serves as a comprehensive framework for tracking how equitably societies distribute resources and opportunities between men and women, irrespective of their overall development levels.

Concept and Purpose

The Global Gender Gap Index aims to quantify the relative gaps between women and men across critical dimensions of life, rather than focusing solely on absolute levels of development. Its primary purpose is to:

• Provide a consistent, comparative tool for assessing gender equality.
• Encourage governments, businesses, and institutions to design policy interventions that close gender gaps.
• Monitor trends over time, highlighting areas of progress and regression.

Unlike many other gender indices, the GGGI emphasises outcome differences rather than inputs or policies, thereby focusing on actual results achieved in gender parity.

Structure and Methodology

The GGGI is composed of four subindices, each representing a key dimension of gender equality:

1. Economic Participation and Opportunity: Measures women’s participation in the workforce, wage equality, and access to senior positions. Indicators include:
   • Labour force participation rate.
   • Wage equality for similar work.
   • Estimated earned income.
   • Representation in managerial and professional roles.
2. Educational Attainment: Evaluates access to and achievement in education, based on:
   • Literacy rate.
   • Enrolment in primary, secondary, and tertiary education.
3. Health and Survival: Focuses on life expectancy and sex ratio at birth. Indicators include:
   • Sex ratio at birth (indicating potential preference for male children).
   • Healthy life expectancy.
4. Political Empowerment: Assesses women’s representation in political decision-making. Indicators include:
   • Share of women in parliament.
   • Share of women in ministerial positions.
   • Years with a female head of state or government over the past 50 years.

Each country receives a score between 0 and 1, where 1.000 represents full gender parity and 0 represents complete inequality. The overall index value is the average of the four subindices, all weighted equally.

Interpretation of Scores

The index measures gaps, not levels. This means that a high-income country and a low-income country can achieve similar parity scores if both genders have relatively equal access to opportunities, regardless of absolute outcomes.
For example, if men and women in a low-income country have equally low literacy rates, the educational gap score would still be high, as parity is achieved despite poor conditions. Hence, the index highlights relative equality, not overall prosperity.

Global Findings and Trends

Since its inception, the Global Gender Gap Index has revealed consistent patterns of disparity, as well as notable progress in some regions.
Key global trends include:

• Overall parity progress: As of the 2024 report, the world has closed approximately 68.5% of the gender gap, with varying progress across dimensions.
• Education and health near parity: Most countries have achieved near-equality in access to education and healthcare.
• Economic and political gaps persist: Women remain underrepresented in leadership positions and continue to earn less than men. Political empowerment remains the largest gap globally.
• Regional variations: Nordic countries consistently top the rankings, while parts of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia show slower progress.

Top-Ranking and Low-Ranking Countries

According to recent GGGI editions:

• Top performers: Iceland, Norway, Finland, New Zealand, and Sweden consistently occupy the top ranks, having closed over 85–90% of their gender gaps. Iceland has maintained the global lead since 2009.
• High-ranking regions: Western Europe and North America generally perform well, with strong political and educational inclusion.
• Low-ranking countries: Nations such as Afghanistan, Chad, Iran, and Pakistan often rank lowest due to wide gaps in education, economic participation, and political representation.

India’s Performance

India’s position in the Global Gender Gap Index reflects both persistent challenges and incremental progress.

• In the 2024 edition, India ranked 129th out of 146 countries, improving slightly from earlier years but still below the global average.
• India has achieved near parity in health and education, with narrowing gaps in literacy and enrolment.
• However, the economic participation and opportunity score remains low due to limited female workforce participation, wage inequality, and underrepresentation in managerial roles.
• In political empowerment, India performs relatively better, owing to female representation at local government levels and several women having held high political offices.

The Indian government has introduced initiatives such as Beti Bachao Beti Padhao, Stand-Up India, and Women’s Reservation in Panchayats to improve gender equality outcomes.

Regional Insights

The GGGI also categorises countries into regional clusters to analyse geographic variations:

• Europe and North America: Leading in gender parity due to inclusive education and labour policies.
• Latin America and the Caribbean: Steady progress in education and politics, but wage gaps persist.
• Sub-Saharan Africa: Progress in health and education, yet high maternal mortality rates remain a concern.
• Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Lagging overall, primarily due to low female labour participation and limited political representation.
• South Asia: Some of the widest gender gaps globally, though Bangladesh and Nepal perform relatively better within the region.

Factors Influencing Gender Gaps

Several socio-economic and cultural factors shape a country’s performance:

• Legal frameworks: The presence (or absence) of laws guaranteeing equal pay, inheritance rights, and political participation strongly influences outcomes.
• Economic structures: Industrial composition and access to formal employment affect women’s participation rates.
• Education and technology: Higher educational attainment and digital literacy correlate with better gender parity.
• Social norms and cultural attitudes: Patriarchal traditions and gender stereotypes often hinder progress despite policy efforts.

Global Significance and Policy Implications

The Global Gender Gap Index has become an essential tool for:

• Policy formulation: Governments use GGGI data to design gender-inclusive policies and track progress toward equality.
• Corporate responsibility: Businesses employ the index to benchmark diversity and inclusion strategies.
• Academic research: It provides data for studies linking gender equality with economic growth and social development.
• International goals: The index supports monitoring of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality) under the UN 2030 Agenda.

Research indicates that narrowing gender gaps boosts economic performance. The World Economic Forum estimates that achieving gender parity could add trillions of dollars to global GDP by increasing labour force participation and productivity.

Limitations and Criticism

While widely respected, the GGGI faces certain criticisms:

• It does not measure absolute living standards, only relative gaps.
• Some indicators, such as political representation, may fluctuate rapidly due to electoral cycles.
• The index excludes non-binary and gender-diverse identities, focusing strictly on male-female comparisons.
• Data availability varies across countries, occasionally leading to incomplete or outdated assessments.

Despite these limitations, the index remains one of the most comprehensive and influential tools for evaluating gender disparities worldwide.

Broader Impact and Future Outlook

The Global Gender Gap Index has transformed the global discourse on gender equality by providing a quantitative and comparative measure of progress. It has encouraged countries to adopt evidence-based strategies and to view gender parity as an essential element of economic competitiveness and social justice.
As of the mid-2020s, the WEF projects that at the current pace of change, the world may take over 130 years to close the global gender gap completely. This projection underscores the need for accelerated efforts, especially in the spheres of economic empowerment, digital inclusion, and political participation.