Abstract

The basic characteristics are outlined of the UN’s Gender Inequality Index (GII) and its Gender Development Index (GDI). Their trends in relation to India’s real Gross National Income (GNI) per capita indicate a decline in its gender inequality with its economic growth. However, these trends give a distorted and incomplete picture of changes in Indian gender inequality. Several assumptions underlying GII and GDI are questioned in the Indian context, for example, within India more education of females is not associated with a reduced wage gap between males and females, and greater access of females to the labour market can raise gender inequality. The effects of economic growth (absent in the above indices) are assessed on Indian male–female ratios and on violence against women. Variations in gender inequality in India within households are also considered. New data results in the questioning of several existing hypotheses.

摘要

联合国性别不平等指数 (GII) 及其性别发展指数 (GDI) 概述了基本特征。它们与印度人均实际国民总收入 (GNI) 的趋势表明，随着经济增长，其性别不平等有所下降。然而，这些趋势给出了印度性别不平等变化的扭曲和不完整的画面。GII 和 GDI 背后的几个假设在印度的背景下受到质疑，例如，在印度，女性接受更多教育与男女工资差距缩小无关，而女性更多地进入劳动力市场会加剧性别不平等。经济增长的影响（上述指数中没有）是根据印度男女比例和对妇女的暴力行为进行评估的。还考虑了印度家庭内部性别不平等的变化。新数据导致对几个现有假设的质疑。