A recent report from WEF on the gender pay gap reveals worrying results for India.
Gender Pay Gap has acquired multiple definitions over the years. It has transitioned from being the norm to a noticeable crisis. The United Nations has tagged it as #StoptheRobbery in its campaign, underlining that women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn for equal work. As an acknowledgment of the crisis, women have responded brilliantly, in harmony. There is a wildfire movement calling for women to share their earnings with fellow women.
The Time Use Survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) found that an average Indian woman spends 19.5% of her time in unpaid work, while men spend about 2.5% of their time in the same. Here, unpaid work denotes work in all environments, not excluding homes. The uncompensated work consumes energy and hinders growth. In short, lots of work goes unquantified, hence its pay. What is left unquantified does not hold value. What is unvalued does not garner attention. The untended gender pay gap will take 132 years to close.
Recent report underscores worrying trends
The recent gender pay gap report by the World Economic Forum has ranked India 135 among 146 countries.
The World Economic Forum evaluates countries in 4 sub-indices:
- Economic Participation and Opportunity
- Educational Attainment
- Health and Survival
- Political Empowerment
India ranked 146 in health and survival, 143 in economic participation and opportunity, 107 in educational attainment, and 48th in political empowerment. One can notice a waterfall effect within the parameters:
- Considering that health and survival are the cruces of sustenance, it is a concerning spot for a fast developing country. Only when adequate measures are taken for basic survival will women have the luxury to think beyond the basics.
- Once health and survival are attended to, educational attainment will achieve the amplitude that it lacks currently. Despite having free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of six to fourteen years as a Fundamental Right, the trends speak otherwise.
- Educated women can rise to contribute to the economy in an individual capacity. It is to be understood this cannot happen unless the former conditions are met. One can predict a long road.
- While the country seems to be at a good spot in political empowerment, it is to be noted that the score has declined. The number of women on the political stage has reduced over the past 50 years.
Bridging the gender gap is no mean task but ensuring the basics is. Every time we mend the basic right to live, learn and sustain, the gap shrinks.
