NEWS – Global Gender Gap Report 2024 released by World Economic Forum (WEF)

HIGHLIGHTS

Key Areas of Improvement

Political Participation

• Significant Improvement: Political participation shows notable progress
• Current Challenges:
  • Top-level political positions remain elusive for women globally
  • Persistent systemic barriers in political leadership roles

Economic Participation

• Labor Force Participation:
  • Global parity at 65.7%, up from pandemic low of 62.3%
  • Positive trend indicating recovery and gradual progress

Technological Sector

• AI Engineering:
  • Doubling of women in AI engineering roles since 2016
  • Increased recognition of diverse perspectives in technology
  • Continued underrepresentation in STEM and AI fields

Regional and Country-Specific Insights

India

• Current Rank: 129th place, slipped two places from previous ranking
• Comparison with South Asian Neighbors:
  • Ranks Better Than: Pakistan (145th)
  • Ranks Below: Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan

Global Context

• Top Performer: Iceland retains the top position
• Lowest Rank: Sudan, ranked 146th

Upcoming Milestones

• 2024 Significance:
  • Over 60 national elections worldwide
  • Potential for increased women’s political representation

CONCLUSION

• Overall Progress: Modest improvements in closing the gender gap
• Future Outlook: Continued efforts required to achieve full gender parity, with significant strides needed in political, economic, and technological domains.