Gender Equality And Empowerment

The report titled “Charting New Paths for Gender Equality and Empowerment: Asia-Pacific Regional Report on Beijing+30 Review” was launched by ESCAP and UN Women at the UN Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment, held in Bangkok, Thailand.

• It analyses the progress made and the challenges faced in implementing the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).

About the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA)

• Adoption of BPfA: The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was adopted unanimously by 189 countries at the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing,China.
  • It is a landmark global framework and key policy document for advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

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• Key Areas of Focus: The report covers 12 key areas impacting women: poverty, education, health, violence, armed conflict, economic participation, leadership, institutional support, human rights, media representation, environmental roles, and the girl child.
• Review Mechanism: Reviews of the BPfA have been conducted regionally  and globally every five years since 1995 to facilitate the tracking of its implementation.
  • The 30 year review and appraisal of the Beijing Platform for Action will take place during the  69th session of the Commission on the Status of Women to be held in March 2025.
• Asia-Pacific Regional Review: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) leads the regional review of BPfA implementation in collaboration with UN-Women and in consultation with key stakeholders.
  • The ESCAP is one of the five regional commissions under the jurisdiction of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (one of the six principal organs of the United Nations).

About Asia-Pacific Regional Report on Beijing +30 Review

• The Asia-Pacific Regional Report on Beijing +30 assesses the progress made in gender equality and women’s empowerment since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995. 
  • As part of the 30 year review process of BPfA, the report reflects on achievements, persistent challenges, and emerging priorities across the region.

Key Highlights of the Asia-Pacific Regional Report on Beijing +30 Review

• Gender-Responsive Budgeting in Asia-Pacific: The adoption of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) by Asia-Pacific countries like India and Philippines demonstrates their strong commitment to ensuring the efficient allocation of resources based on the identified needs of women and girls.

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• India’s Achievements in Gender Budgeting:
  • 218% Increase in Gender Budgeting: India has experienced a 218% decadal increase in gender budgeting.
  • Current Financial Year Allocation: In the current financial year, India has allocated $37 million for gender budgeting.
  • Women’s Leadership in Governance: India showcased its model of “women-led” development at the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference, particularly through women’s leadership in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), driven by 33% reservation
  • Empowerment through Self-Help Groups (SHGs): Women’s collectives and SHGs have played a significant role in the financial empowerment of women, demonstrating India’s commitment to gender equality.
• India has worked on gender-responsive solutions to reduce “time poverty” of women such as clean cooking fuels, tap water connections and construction of toilets.
  • Time Poverty refers to the lack of sufficient time to meet essential needs and engage in activities that improve well-being, often due to excessive work or caregiving responsibilities. 
• Challenges: Despite progress, India faces challenges in implementing GRB due to the lack of sex-disaggregated data and the exclusion of key programmes that benefit women.
• Youth NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training) in the Region:
  • Many young women and men in the region are not in employment, education or training (NEET).
  • Women are benefitting less from the structural transformation of the region’s economies from agriculture to manufacturing and services. 
  • They are often confined to informal, low-skilled, precarious jobs and excluded from STEM fields.
    • For example, in 12 out of 20 Asia-Pacific countries, women make up less than 40% of the STEM workforce, limiting their participation in high-growth industries.
• Women’s Representation in Politics: Women hold 20.8% of parliamentary seats in the Asia-Pacific region, below the global average of 26.5%.
• Legislative frameworks remain largely inadequate: Legal frameworks for gender equality exist in less than half of ESCAP member States (regionally based).

Factors Affecting Gender Equality in India

• Entrenched Social Norms: Patriarchal mindsets, prevalence of the child marriage, son preference etc leads to restricted mobility, education, and opportunities, contributing to skewed sex ratios in states like Haryana and Punjab.
• Unpaid Care Work: Women spend nearly five times more time on unpaid domestic work than men (UN Women), limiting their access to education and paid employment.
• Female Labour Participation Rate: Despite an increase in women’s labour force participation to 37.0% in 2022-23, factors like childcare responsibilities and the desire to pursue education continue to hinder gender equality in India, as highlighted by the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2021-22.
• Gender Pay Gap: Significant pay disparities exist, with India achieving only 36.7% parity in economic participation (Global Gender Gap Index 2023).
• Property Ownership: National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) indicates that more men as compared to women own property. 
  • Overall, 42.3% of women and 62.5% of men own a house.
  • 31.7% of women and 43.9% of men own land either alone or jointly with someone else.
• Violence Against Women: According to the latest report by The National Family Health Survey (NFHS): 
  • 29.3% married Indian women between the ages of 18-49 years have faced domestic violence/or sexual violence. 
  • 3.1% of pregnant women between the ages of 18-49 have experienced physical violence during any pregnancy.
• Education Gaps: According to the 2011 census, only 63 percent of women in the total population are literate, significantly lower than the male literacy rate of 80 percent. 
  • In the Global Gender Gap Report released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) for 2024, India has been ranked 129th out of 146 economies.
    • There is a 17 percent literacy rate gap between males and females
• Political Underrepresentation: As on April 2024, India ranks 143 in the list of countries in the ‘Monthly ranking of women in national parliaments’ published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, a global organisation for national parliaments.
  • India’s Lok Sabha, 2024: Includes 74 women MPs, comprising only 13.63% of the Lower House, far below the 33% reservation target set for implementation after the next delimitation exercise.

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Measures taken to Improve Gender Equality In India 

• Legal Reforms:
  • Nari Shakti Vandana Adhiniyam 2023: Provides 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies (pending implementation).
  • Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005: Provision of Equal property inheritance rights under it.
• Women-Centric Schemes:
  • Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Aims to improve child sex ratios and promote girls’ education.
  • Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: Offers financial incentives for maternity care.
  • Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: Encourages savings for girl children’s education and marriage.
• Economic Empowerment: Increased participation in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM).
  • Focus on skilling women through programs like Skill India and the Mahila E-Haat platform.
• Addressing Gender-Based Violence: Enactment of laws like The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013.
• Health and Nutrition: Janani Suraksha Yojana and POSHAN Abhiyaan: Ensure maternal and child health and combat malnutrition.
• Education: Free or subsidised education for girls under schemes like Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya.
• Awareness and Advocacy: Initiatives like Mahila Shakti Kendras promote awareness of gender equality and empower women at the grassroots level.

Way Forward

• Policy and Legal Reforms: Strengthen gender-sensitive laws and their enforcement.
  • Expedite the implementation of 33% reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies.
• Investment in Social Infrastructure: Increase funding for health, education, and social protection systems.
• Data and Accountability: Enhance gender-disaggregated data collection to monitor progress effectively.
• Transforming Social Attitudes: Encourage male participation in domestic responsibilities to reduce the burden of unpaid care work.
• Digital Empowerment: Addressing the gender digital divide by ensuring equitable access to technology and digital literacy programs.
• Promote gender-sensitive education:  by incorporating gender equality into curricula, training teachers to address biases, and creating safe, inclusive learning spaces to empower all students equally.

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Conclusion

Achieving gender equality requires sustained efforts across legal, social, and economic fronts to create an inclusive society where everyone can realise their full potential.