The relationship between gender equity and human development is integral to fostering a society that thrives on equality and inclusivity. Gender equity refers to the fair treatment and opportunities for all genders, ensuring that individuals, regardless of their gender identity, have access to the same resources, rights, and opportunities. This connection is particularly significant in the realm of human development, as it influences the overall well-being and progress of societies. Gender-related indices serve as valuable tools to assess and measure the status of gender equity within a given society. These indices provide a comprehensive understanding of various aspects of gender disparities, including economic participation, education, health, and political representation. By examining these indices, policymakers, researchers, and advocates can pinpoint areas that require attention and formulate strategies to promote a more equitable and inclusive environment. Some commonly used gender-related indices include the Gender Development Index (GDI), the Gender Inequality Index (GII), and the Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI), each offering unique insights into the multifaceted nature of gender equity on a global scale.
Answer
Gender equity and human development are closely interconnected, and addressing gender disparities is a fundamental aspect of achieving comprehensive human development. The relation between gender equity and human development in its every component.
Gender Equity and Accessible Healthcare:
The health of women is important for–
- Health of a child.
- To reduce IMR,MMR.
- To reduce malnutrition.
- Family Planning
Also, women face greater barriers than men in accessing health facilities and information due to restriction on mobility, lack of access to decision-making power, cultural practices, and also women are more vulnerable towards sexually transmitted diseases, HIV, cancer, etc.
Eg: Kerala, India, the matrilineal system historically gave women a significant say in decisions, leading to IMR of 6 in 2019 acc to Sample Registration System , better health and education outcomes compared to many other parts of India.
Gender Equity and Education:
- Gender equity in education empowerso womens to economically employable , self sufficient
- Independent about her rights and thoughts
- Protects from discrimination in family, workplace and other places
According to the UN every additional year of primary school increases girls’ eventual wages by 10-20 percent. It also encourages them to marry later and have fewer children, and leaves them less vulnerable to violence.
Gender Equity and Poverty and Hunger:
- According to WFP Gender Policy and Strategy, 60% of chronically hungry people are women and girls. So it is very important to consider gender equity in efforts to eradicate of poverty and hunger.
Gender Equity and Economic Activity:
Women’s Workforce and Rural Economic Activity:
- Women are the major workforce of agriculture from seeding to harvesting.
- According to the UN Rural Female Workforce report, if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they could increase yields on their farms by 20 to 30 percent, raising total agricultural output in these countries by 2.5 to 4 percent.
- In India, only more than 75% of the women’s workforce is still in agriculture even if the male workforce is reduced.
Women workforce as a part of Demographic dividend:
- Women are 50% of the labor force of a country. To get the full potential of the Demographic dividend, women’s participation is very important.
Gender Equity and Employment:
Women employment
- Helps to address the economic discrimination, huge gender gap in workforce, salary gap between men and women and to break the glass ceiling present in decision making authority.
- The Difference of men’s and women’s expected lifetime earnings globally is almost $172 trillion – nearly two times the world’s annual GDP.
- Women employment has trickle down effects on child education, health facilities,to eradicate poverty, to resolve environmental problems
- Helps to prevents many social evils like caste discrimination, dowry etc
Gender equity and decision making:
- A large gender gap remains in women’s access to decision-making and leadership.
- In many Panchayati Raj Institutions, in India, it is observed that women Panchayet Pradhan result in greater outcomes than their male counterparts.
Gender equity and political representation & Governance:
Gender equity
- Diverse perspectives and experiences represented in political decision-making
- Helps to prevent many obstacles women face like discriminatory laws, institutional limitations of women officers, capacity gaps in education, and resources to become effective leaders.
- In Asia, women’s representation varies in rural councils from 2-15%.
- Eg- Rwanda, with a high percentage of women in its parliament, has made significant strides in post-conflict reconstruction and development. It passed laws on issues like education, gender-based violence, and rural poverty, one of a kind in the whole of Africa.
Provide a list of commonly used gender-related indices. Gender Inequality Index
- Global Gender Gap Index (GGI)-
Compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF),.The index is based on gender inequality as the combined result of various socioeconomic, policy, and cultural variables. The GGI measures gaps rather than levels, targets outcome variables rather than input variables, and ranks countries according to gender equality rather than women’s empowerment. - Gender Inequality Index (GII)–
The GII, compiled by the United Nations Development Programme, is based on gender-based disadvantage in three dimensions: reproductive health; female empowerment, and labor market participation. The higher the index value, the greater the disparities between women and men and the more losses there are to human development. - Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIG). The SIGI, compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is a cross-country measure of discrimination against women in social Institutions.
Others are the Gender Development Index, Women Economic Opportunity Index, labor force partition index, Women political representation index, etc.
Gender equity was addressed via many ways by NGO initiatives,Government policies, campaigns etc, but women still lack voice and the ability to participate in decisions that impact them, their families, and their societies, and their economic opportunities remain very constrained. Addressing gender inequalities is not only the right thing to do, it is the smart thing to do, because inequality is costly.
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