Goa second in India for women’s development

Goa is the country's second-most gender-equal state after Chandigarh. It is also second among states that have most empowered women, after Andhra Pradesh. These are the results of a study commissioned by the Union Ministry for Women and Child Development (WCD). The study, conducted with assistance from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), calculated gender inequality and women's empowerment by tweaking – for Indian conditions – parameters commonly used by the UNDP globally.

The report, yet to be unveiled officially, compares the 2006 and 1996 reports of gender disparity and women's empowerment in each Indian state, using data from the two years, and then ranks the states. Kerala was ranked first in the gender development index (GDI) for 1996. But the southern state has slipped to the third place in the GDI calculated for 2006, behind Chandigarh and Goa.

The Indian government's GDI is calculated by comparing the infant mortality, life expectancy at the age of one, literacy rates, average years of education and estimated income per capita for girls and boys. As a country, India's GDI has improved from 0.568 in 1996 to 0.633 in 2006. The higher the GDI, the greater the gender equality. Goa was ranked first in women's empowerment in 1996. But Andhra Pradesh has jumped from the 14th rank in 1996 to top the 2006 gender empowerment measure (GEM) calculated by researchers in the report. Goa ranks second in the 2006 report. Haryana and Kerala are ranked third and fourth on the GEM index for 2006, while Pondicherry and Maharashtra are tied for the fifth slot.

The GEM is calculated by measuring political and economic participation and control wielded by women in different Indian states. Like the GDI, a higher GEM represents greater empowerment of women. Political participation is calculated by taking into consideration the number of women legislators – at the Centre, Legislative Assembly and Panchayati Raj institutions – and the number of women candidates fielded by parties in elections. The percentage of women voters is also considered while computing the political participation of women.

Economic participation has been calculated by evaluating the share of jobs held by women in the civil services, of professionals graduating from medical and engineering colleges and judges of high courts and the Supreme Court. Bihar is at the bottom of both the GDI and GEM indices – for both 1996 and 2006. The state government has, however, since enforced 50 per cent reservations in panchayats for women, which may help the state improve its GEM the next time the index is measured.