Pakistan fourth in worst countries for women, India only marginally better

Several African countries fare better than countries of the sub-continent in the list which ranks 153 countries in the Women, Peace and Security Index.

File photo of a woman labourer in Pakistani city of Khanpur.

New Delhi: Pakistan has fared fourth worst to be ranked 150 in a list of 153 countries in the Women, Peace and Security Index. Based on a number of parameters for women including schooling, access to means of communication, discrimination faced, Pakistan fared poorly in almost all of them. In the same list, India was only marginally better and ranked 131.

According to the report published by Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in partnership with the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, Pakistani women have an average of just five years of schooling. Only 24 per cent of women in the country are employed while their share of seats in the parliament is at just 20 per cent. Even in terms of access to means of communication, only 33 per cent women here have cellphones.

The report also highlights that there are close to 500,000 'missing girls' in the country and points out a bias in favour of sons.

India may have fared better in terms of the overall rank but does not necessarily outscore Pakistan in all parameters. According to the study, Indian women too have just five years of schooling on an average, have a 12 per cent share in the country's Parliament but 71 per cent have access to cellphones.

In the sub-continent, Nepal fares the best and is ranked 85, followed by Sri Lanka at rank 97, Bhutan at 108 and Bangladesh at 127. Afghanistan is one rank worse than Pakistan and is ranked just above bottom-placed Syria.

On the other end of the list is Iceland which is rated the best for women, followed by Norway, Switzerland, Slovenia, Spain, Finland, Canada and Sweden. The United States is placed 22nd while the UK fares better at rank 12.

Interestingly, while western and developed nations do understandably well in the study, a number of African countries too fare reasonably well - especially when compared to countries of the sub-continent. In the list, Namibia is ranked 48, South Africa is 51st, Ghana is at 69 and Zimbabwe is at 70.