India has slipped four places to rank 112 out of 153 countries in the World Economic Forum's 14th gender gap index. Iceland has retained its position as the most gender-neutral country for the eleventh straight time.

Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen are the bottom three. Improvement was strongest in countries like Ethiopia, Spain, Mali, Albania and Mexico.

India is behind its neighbours China, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, although the country has closed the gender gap for over 66 percent of its women.

India ranks among the bottom 5 in providing economic opportunities for women just ahead of Pakistan, Yemen, Syria and Iraq with just about 25 percent women getting equal economic opportunities. India also has very low women representation on company boards at just 14 percent.

Since 2006, the economic gender gap has widened and in fact, India is the only country among the 153 that has been studied where the economic gender gap is larger than the political gender gap.

India's performance on wage equality, health and survival are equally poor largely owing to abnormally low sex ratios at birth that puts Indian women at a disadvantageous position. There has however been an improvement in educational attainment.

First Published:Dec 17, 2019 8:28 PM IST