World Population Day: Do India’s daughters matter?
World Population Day this year focuses on the rights of women and girls – and India, with its Human Development Index ranking it at 132 out of 191 countries, must gear up its efforts.
The Global Gender Gap Report 2022 places India at 135 out of 146 countries. In comparison to the year before, when we ranked 140 out of 156, India has slightly improved its position. In 2022, the index reveals that the gender gap has been closed at 68.10 per cent globally, and if we move forward at a similar pace of progression, it would take us almost 132 years to reach complete gender equivalence all over the world.
When we come to the sub-indices, in the educational attainment category, India ranked 107 in 2022. In the economic participation and opportunity category, India is placed at a low rank out of 146 countries. India ranks 48 in the political empowerment area and as for the health and survival sub-index, the country lined up at the very bottom and performed the worst, worldwide.
Moving towards gender equality
Flagship government programmes like the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), National Health Mission (NHM) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan have played a formidable role in reducing the gender gap and leading towards gender equality. NRLM approaches development from a multi-dimensional perspective and has worked to mobilise women into forming self-help groups (SHG) and its federations. MGNREGA has involved women in the workforce by providing jobs close to their homes, while the NHM has tried to bring in community involvement in healthcare.
Despite these significant efforts, patriarchal structures and systems lead to age-old practices and norms impeding endeavours at gender equity and equality goals. The girl-child dropout rate from education stood at 14.60 per cent for secondary school students in the 2020-21 report by Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+). UNICEF’s U-Report poll in 2022 revealed that 38 per cent of respondents knew at least one female student to have dropped out of school.
According to UNFPA-UNICEF, while there is a growing trend for a decline in the overall prevalence of child marriage, 23.30 per cent of child marriage is still a disturbingly high figure in a country with a population of 141.20 crore. As per the recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), eight states have a higher prevalence of child marriage than the national average, and 27 per cent of women in the age group of 20-24 years marry before they are 18 years old.
The sex ratio at birth for children born in the last five years is below 950 for seven (of the 17) states. In three states, the ratio is below 900. The proportion of married women (18-49 years age group) who have ever faced spousal violence is 31.60 per cent. As many as 65.60 per cent of women use some family planning method while the unmet need is 9.90 per cent. Female sterilisation stands at 38.70 per cent and male sterilisation at 0.30 per cent. Women’s workforce participation rate has declined to 20.30 per cent according to the World Bank.
Key thrust areas
These indicators clearly show that gender inequalities lead to uncontrolled population ratios and a low human development index. Schooling of girl children assumes top priority for policy-level consideration. Breaking patriarchal thinking through the enhancement of individual and collective agency is inevitable for the enhancement of quality of life. This can be achieved through the platform of SHG and its federations with gender transformative agenda. Women’s work participation could be enhanced through skill development and opportunities for young women in non-conventional areas.
Through life-skill education from childhood and adolescence, girl children need to have control over their own bodies and fertility. Young boys and adolescents should be conditioned to forgo their false sense of masculinity. Through this plethora of programmes, young women should have awareness and information on family planning measures.
Along with the emphasis on knowledge for women and strong instrumentalisation of women, government programmes need to reduce the gender gaps through policy-level interventions and enhancement of state role in the care economy and strengthen system delivery that exacerbates poverty ratios.
The lead image at the top shows women walking miles carrying water pots on their heads in Thar, Pakistan (Photo from Shutterstock)
Seema Bhaskaran is Lead – Inclusion and Equality at Transform Rural India Foundation. She has a postgraduation in social work and a doctorate in child sexual abuse. She serves as a consultant on gender integration and right to education for NRLM and UNICEF among others.
