In societal and governmental attitudes in India, statistics only throw light on the existing state of affairs and that is also often taken with a pinch of salt. Recommendations of global institutions as a rule scratch the surface. Mckinsey Global Institute has a whole lot of benefits which can arise from improving gender parity in India strengthening the country’s economy. The bulk of this gain is about 70% which should result from a rise in India’s female labour force participation rate by 10 percentage points-from 31% currently to 41% in 2025. The upshot will be bringing 68 million more women into economic activity in the next decade. Women in India at present generate a share of regional output adding up to 17%. It is marginally lower than in West Asia and North Africa (18%) and much lower than in North America and Oceana (41%).The gender parity score in India is 0.48 which is supposedly extremely high. The solution lies in reservations and quotas at the top and in greater gender equality at the bottom of the pyramid. All this faces the Indian government with the daunting task of addressing such crucial issues as the maternal mortality rate, gap in educational level, financial and digital inclusion and so on. The Mc Kinsey report states, “On average, women with no education attainment express a 30 percent stronger preference for a boy child over a girl, compared with a 3 percent stronger preference expressed by women with tertiary or higher education”. Gender equality in society naturally leads to greater equality at the workplace.
In India, the gender factor is further complicated by statewise variations. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar present a dismal picture while Sikkim and Mizoram are considerably better in the field. Delhi can of course make loud noises about drawing up a slew of measures to remove gender inequality. But the statewise picture also needs to be dealt with. All this, however, may sound hollow against a background of harsh reality. “Beti bachao, beti bachao” is a slogan which sounds nice but one is reminded at the same time of girl foeticide. In rural India, girls pay lip service to the policy of education for all but are soon forced to drop out of school by parents to do household chores. The legislation against child marriage among girls is frequently breached. Rape goes unpunished and sexual harassment at the workplace is oftener than nor reported by the victims. The entire mindset in most parts of India is in the ‘dark backwards of time’ and the Hindutva zealots at the top are unlikely to improve matters. In such a context, statistics dished out by global agencies can only prove to be only ‘words, words.’