Social Equality

Why in the news?

Thousands of women and non-binary folk in Iceland stopped work both paid and non-paid, bringing the nation to a standstill for 24 hours.
It’s the first of its kind since the historic strike of 1975.
Fishing industry workers, teachers , hospital staff, government workers, librarians and Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir were among those who were protesting the gender pay gap and gender-based violence .

The Case

Iceland has been ranked the world’s most gender-equal country for 14 years in a row by the World Economic Forum (WEF), which measures education, pay, healthcare and other factors.
Background: Iceland, in 2018, became the first country in the world to mandate equal pay for equal work by law. However, implementation and enforcement are ongoing challenges.
Icelandic women, led by labor unions and feminist organizations, have taken collective action to demand their rights and hold employers accountable for gender pay disparities.

Scenario in India

India ranked 127th out of 146 countries in the Gender Gap Report 2023 edition.
As of February 2021, only 14.4% of seats in parliament were held by women.
Government Initiatives to promote Gender Equality:
- Legal Reforms: India has enacted several laws to protect women’s rights, such as the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao: This campaign focuses on the welfare of the girl child and aims to address issues like female feticide and promote girls’ education.
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana: A maternity benefit program aimed at providing financial assistance to pregnant and lactating women.
Reservation in Local Bodies: The government has introduced a 33% reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Women Reservation Bill 2023: seeks to allocate 33 percent of the seats in the directly elected Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies for women.

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