ISAS Briefs

India ranked a low 108th position out of 144 countries in the Global Gender Gap Index 2017 published recently by the World Economic Forum, slipping 21 places in its overall ranking from the 87th position in 2016. India's decline in the ranking can be primarily attributed to a widening of its gender gaps in political empowerment, literacy rate and life expectancy. India's gender gap is further accentuated by the low participation of the women in the economy and low wages for those who have the employment opportunity. It is crucial to understand the constraints faced by the women in order to devise the appropriate policies to address this complex problem.