Committee: UN Women
Topic: Role of Man to empowers women
Country: India
Gender gaps favoring males—in education, health, personal autonomy, and more—are
systematically larger in poor countries than in rich countries. This article explores the root causes of
gender inequality in poor countries. Is the higher level of gender inequality explained by
underdevelopment itself? Or do the countries that are poor today have certain characteristics and
cultural beliefs that lead to the larger gender gaps? I begin by documenting some basic facts about
how gender inequality correlates with the level of economic development. I then discuss several
mechanisms through which the process of economic development theoretically could improve the
relative outcomes of women and review recent evidence on these mechanisms. I argue that while
much of the relationship between development and gender inequality can be explained by the
process of development, society-specific factors are also at play. The countries that are poor today,
or at least some of them, have cultural features that exacerbate favoritism toward males. Being poor
is insufficient to explain parents’ strong desire to have a son in China and India.
The gender pay gap in India for the year 2013 was recorded at 24.81% by WageIndicator,
and a curious stat is that this gap increases with age. Women below the age of 30 earned
23.07% less than men, while those in the age group of 30-40 years earned 30.24% less than
men. There's a clear gap in growth charts in a career for a man and woman in India.
Though persistent efforts are being made to push the number of women by providing onethird reservation for them in various legal bodies including the Parliament, the percentage of
women is just 5-10% across all political parties in India. The reservation has been mandated
by the Constitution of India (73rd Amendment Act), enacted in 1992. As per the Act, a
minimum one-third of the seats for women, both as members and chairpersons, would be
reserved within all of the locally elected governance bodies of India, generally known as
Panchayati Raj Institutions.
“No nation, no society, no community can hold its head high and claim to be part of the civilized
world if it condones the practice of discriminating against one half of humanity represented by
women.”
-Former PM Dr. Manmohan Singh