The UN Gender Snapshot 2025 warns of stalled equality, risking 351 million women in poverty by 2030. As Beijing+30 approaches, India must confront climate, conflict, and AI challenges while seizing opportunities to advance education, health, employment, and representation goals.
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The UN Gender Snapshot 2025 warns stalled progress could leave 351 million women in poverty by 2030.
It is an annual report by UN Women and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) that evaluates global progress toward gender equality across all 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It uses data from global surveys, national statistics, and UN databases to assess trends in poverty, education, health, work, violence, and emerging issues like digital access and climate impacts.
Launched in 2019, the 2025 edition emphasizes the urgency of the Beijing+30 Action Agenda, a global commitment to women’s rights.
The report calls for targeted investments to unlock $342 trillion in economic returns by 2050 through gender equality.
Poverty and Food Insecurity
If trends continue, 351 million women and girls will remain in extreme poverty by 2030, with female poverty rates stuck at 10% since 2020.
In 2024, 64 million more women than men faced food insecurity, driven by conflicts and climate shocks.
Education Gains and Gaps
Girls now outnumber boys in global school enrolment, but regional disparities in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia persist due to early marriage and economic barriers. Secondary school dropout rates for girls remain high in these regions.
Health Improvements and Disparities
Maternal mortality dropped 39% since 2000, but women spend 25% more years in poor health than men due to limited healthcare access.
Unpaid Work and Representation
Women perform 2.5 times more unpaid care work than men, restricting economic participation.
They hold less than 33% of parliamentary seats globally, and managerial gender parity may take a century. 102 countries have never had a woman head of state or government.
Violence Against Women
One in eight women aged 15-49 faced intimate partner violence in the past year. Child marriage declined from 22% (2014) to 18.6% (2024), but progress is slow.
Digital Divide
In 2024, 70% of men vs 65% of women used the internet. Closing this gap could benefit 343 million women, lift 30 million from poverty, and add $1.5 trillion to global GDP by 2030.
Climate and AI Risks
A worst-case climate scenario could push 158 million more women into poverty by 2050. Women’s jobs face higher AI disruption risk (27.6% vs 21.1% for men), particularly in service sectors.
These findings stress the need for urgent, gender-responsive policies to meet the 2030 SDG targets.
Economic Stagnation: Persistent female poverty (10% since 2020) and food insecurity (64 million gender gap) hinder SDG 1 (No Poverty). Conflicts and climate change deepen these gaps.
Unpaid Care Burden: Women’s 2.5x higher unpaid work limits labor force participation, stalling SDG 8 (Decent Work). This also perpetuates income inequality and poverty cycles.
Digital Exclusion: The 5% gender gap in internet access restricts women’s access to education, jobs, and markets, undermining SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 9 (Innovation).
Health and Violence: High maternal morbidity and widespread violence (1 in 3 women affected lifetime) challenge SDG 3 (Health) and SDG 16 (Peace). Conflict proximity (676 million women in 2024) heightens risks.
Climate and Technological Threats: Climate impacts on agriculture and AI-driven job losses disproportionately affect women, threatening SDG 13 (Climate Action) and economic stability.
These challenges demand cross-sectoral interventions in education, care infrastructure, and technology access to prevent setbacks.
Government schemes and initiatives
Mission Shakti: An umbrella scheme covering safety and empowerment programs like One Stop Centres, Women's Helpline (181), and schemes for working women's hostels and creches.
Lakhpati Didi: A scheme to empower women from Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to earn at least ₹1 lakh per year. The Drone Didi initiative trains women from SHGs to become drone pilots.
Economic support: Schemes like Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana prioritize women entrepreneurs for collateral-free loans, while the Stand Up India Scheme provides loans for startups led by women and marginalized communities.
Housing and welfare: Under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, houses are often allotted with a female member as the owner. The Ujjwala Yojana provides free cooking gas connections to poor households, reducing women's exposure to harmful smoke.
Gender Budget: The Union Budget for 2025–26 increased the gender budget allocation to Rs 4.49 lakh crore to support women's welfare and empowerment.
National Food Security Act (NFSA): Mandates that the eldest woman (18+) of a household be its head on the ration card to issue subsidized food grains.
Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY): Offers 35 kg of highly subsidized food grains per month to the poorest households.
Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY): Provides 5 kg of free food grains monthly to all NFSA beneficiaries.
Legal and safety reforms
Women's Reservation Act (2023): Reserves one-third of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies, boosting political representation.
Updated criminal laws: The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (2023) consolidates and strengthens provisions against crimes targeting women, addressing issues like sexual harassment, trafficking, and false promises of marriage.
Legal recourse: Fast Track Special Courts (FTSCs), One Stop Centres (OSCs), and the universal Women's Helpline (181) provide expedited justice and support services for women affected by violence.
Workplace safety: The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act (2013) mandates internal committees to address complaints.
Domestic Violence Act, 2005: Protects women from all forms of domestic abuse, including physical, verbal, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse.
Social and educational progress
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao: Improving the child sex ratio and ensuring the education and protection of girl children.
Digital inclusion: Programs like PM Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan (PMGDISHA) and initiatives like the Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) promote digital and financial literacy among women, particularly in rural areas.
Women in STEM: Government has launched various initiatives to increase the participation of girls and women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Way Forward for India
Enhance Gender Data: Strengthen NITI Aayog’s SDG Index with real-time, gender-disaggregated data to monitor schemes like Gender Budgeting.
Invest in Care Infrastructure: Launch a National Care Policy with subsidized childcare centers, to increase female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR).
Bridge Digital and Skill Gaps: Scale up PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) with AI and green job training for women.
Strengthen Anti-Violence Measures: Accelerate Women’s Reservation Bill implementation and expand One-Stop Centres with legal and psychological support.
Climate-Resilient Strategies: Integrate gender role into National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), prioritizing women in disaster preparedness.
Global Collaboration: Leverage G20 and UN platforms to share best practices, promoting PPPs for women in STEM and green sectors.
Source: DOWNTOEARTH
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PRACTICE QUESTION Q. Women’s safety and empowerment are critical for India’s socio-economic development. Critically analyze. 150 words |
It tracks global progress on gender equality across all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlights ongoing challenges.
Gender inequality restricts access to education, healthcare, employment, and social protection, keeping women and girls trapped in poverty.
Female poverty has been consistent at around 10% since 2020, showing a lack of significant improvement.
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