Dr Vishakha Jha 

In a year marked by global efforts to bridge longstanding inequalities, the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2025 paints a contrasting picture for two South Asian neighbours: Bangladesh and India. Released in June, the report benchmarks gender parity across 148 economies, revealing that while Bangladesh has catapulted to 24th place globally with a remarkable 77.5% parity score—up 8.6 percentage points from 2024—India has slipped to 131st with just 64.4% parity, a modest 0.3-point gain overshadowed by declines in key areas. This disparity underscores the uneven progress in Southern Asia, where the regional average stands at 64.6%, the second lowest globally.

The report, which measures gaps in economic participation, education, health, and political empowerment, highlights Bangladesh's leap as the largest year-over-year improvement worldwide, boosting its rank by 75 positions. In contrast, India's drop of two spots from 2024 has sparked concern among experts, with media outlets noting it places the country among the lowest in South Asia, behind even Pakistan in some metrics.

Challenges and Pathways Forward : 

India and Bangladesh grapple with deep-rooted structural barriers to gender parity, as outlined in the World Economic Forum's latest Global Gender Gap Report. In economic participation, both nations suffer from low female workforce involvement—43.4% in Bangladesh compared to 76.8% for men, and a stark 35.1% in India against 78.4% male rates. Regional hurdles like childcare shortages, safety fears, and mobility restrictions trap women's talent, while wage gaps persist (women earn about 58% of men's income in Bangladesh and 54% in India for similar work). Underrepresentation in senior roles further entrenches inequality, with Bangladesh at 31.4% women in legislators and officials versus India's mere 7.4%, amid glass ceilings and hiring biases. Southern Asia, the world's lowest-ranked region economically, sees women funneled into low-productivity agriculture, squandering educational gains.

Education shows near-parity in enrolment but falters in outcomes, with female literacy hovering at 77% in Bangladesh and 75% in India, plagued by rural-urban divides, early marriages, poverty, and poor infrastructure like missing girls' sanitation facilities. Women outperform men in tertiary education, especially in India, yet STEM skill gaps and job mismatches prevent translation into careers. Health challenges include skewed sex ratios at birth from son preference and sex-selective practices, declining healthy life expectancy due to nutrition deficits and violence, and rural gaps in maternal care.

Politically, India lags with just 13.7% women in parliament and 5.6% in ministerial posts, hampered by patriarchal systems, weak quota enforcement, and safety threats. Bangladesh fares better at 72.1% sustainability but holds only 18.2% parliamentary representation, vulnerable to tokenism without deeper reforms. Broader issues span weak legal enforcement on equal pay and discrimination, unpaid care burdens, geoeconomic risks like climate change and AI job losses hitting women hardest, and cultural norms fueling early marriage and gender violence.

The report urges tailored solutions to accelerate progress. Boost economic participation through senior-role quotas, enforced equal pay, childcare subsidies, and STEM/vocational training via public-private partnerships like WEF's Gender Parity Accelerators. Support entrepreneurship with microfinance, building on Bangladesh's garment success, and enhance education via scholarships, safe transport, and career apprenticeships to maximize returns. Improve health with maternal programs, anti-sex selection campaigns, and nutrition drives; politically, enforce quotas (like India's pending 33% bill), mentorship, and funding for women leaders.

Strengthen legal frameworks on violence, inheritance, and workplace rights—aiming for 100% parity from Southern Asia's current 68%—while investing in care ecosystems like paternity leave and daycare. Data tools and global collaborations could track biases and halve the region's 67-year timeline to full parity. With strides like Bangladesh's political gains and India's educational edge, sustained reforms promise trillions in GDP uplift, as radar charts reveal key imbalances for targeted action.

 The writer is an Assistant Professor, Woxsen University, Hyderabad , India