The Global Gender Gap Report 2014:A Torch Bearer Against Gender Discrimination

The Global Gender Gap Report 2014:A Torch Bearer Against Gender Discrimination

Gender Gap is a disproportionate difference or disparity between the sexes. As per the definition of dictionary, the gender gap refers to the differences between women and men, especially as reflected in social, political, intellectual, cultural, or economic attainments or attitudes. This expression was first applied to the difference between men and women in voting preferences by social scientists .But now   it has   been extended to other areas too.To elaborate ,it is the difference that exists between males and females in access to some social good or benefit based solely on their difference in gender (a difference almost always in favor of men). For example, the gender gap in education refers to the increased likelihood of better educational opportunity and achievement for males than females in most societies. In the workplace, gender gaps refer to job opportunities and salary differences. Statistics show that men often earn more for the same work than women. The difference may be a result of the fact that men have been at the top of their professions longer.In economic context, gender gap refers to systematic differences in the outcomes that men and women achieve in the labour market. These differences are seen in the percentages of men and women in the labor force, the types of occupations they choose, and their relative incomes or hourly wages.

The Global Gender Gap Report, introduced by the World Economic Forum in 2006, provides a framework for capturing the magnitude and scope of gender-based disparities around the world.The Global Gender Gap Report 2014 benchmarks national gender gaps of 142 countries on economic, political, education- and health-based criteria.This year is the 9th edition of the Index, allowing for time-series analysis on the changing patterns of gender equality around the world and comparisons between and within countries.The rankings are designed to create greater awareness among a global audience of the challenges posed by gender gaps and the opportunities created by reducing them.

The  report emphasizes persisting gender gap divides across and within regions. Based on the nine years of data available for the 111 countries that have been part of the report since its inception, the world has seen only a small improvement in equality for women in the workplace.

The gender gap for economic participation and opportunity now stands at 60% worldwide, having closed by 4% from 56% in 2006.The gender gap is narrowest in terms of health and survival with a gap standing at 96% globally, with 35 countries having closed the gap entirely. Despite all this, it is the only subindex which declined over the course of the past nine years.  The educational attainment gap is the next narrowest, standing at 94% globally. Here, 25 countries have closed the gap entirely. While the gender gap for economic participation and opportunity lags stubbornly behind, the gap for political empowerment, the fourth pillar measured, remains wider still, standing at 21%, although this area has seen the most improvement since 2006.

Iceland continues to be at the top of the overall rankings in The Global Gender Gap Index for the sixth consecutive year.

Finland ranks in second position, and Norway holds the third place in the overall ranking. Sweden remains in fourth position and Denmark gains three places and ranks this year at the fifth position. Northern European countries dominate the top 10 with Ireland in the eighth position and Belgium (10) Nicaragua (6), Rwanda (7) and Philippines (9) complete the top 10.India has been ranked 114 with a score of 0.646 registering a steady improvement of its overall score since 2010. However, there has been slight drop in 2014 due to a drop in scores on the Economic Participation and Opportunity and Educational Attainment subindexes.India is below average on three subindexes: Economic Participation and Opportunity, Educational Attainment and Health and Survival. In fact, it is the second-lowest performing country on Health and Survival, just ahead of Armenia.

Global Gender Gap report is an eye opener and should  be  be taken as torch bearer for those  who have an in-built  and ingrained bias against  their female child in home, female employees  and female  collegues  at workplaces  and should never play  the spoilsport  when it comes to the  development and progress of  women section   particulary in economic participation and  political empowerment.

The man and woman are like two wheels   on which our society moves, if one  is weaker than the other , the overall progress of  all of us will be hindered. The  discrimination  must come to an end   first in our families where a  boy(say a son ) is given preference over a girl ((say a daughter) considering  her weaker sex which consequently  resulted   in the educational backwardness of  the women section .“To call woman the weaker sex is a libel; it is man's injustice to woman. If by strength is meant brute strength, then, indeed, is woman less brute than man.

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