Gender inequality is deeply ingrained in the traditions and practices of South Asian countries, impacting every facet of women’s lives. This article, through the construction of the Gender Disparity Index from 2003 up to 2022, attempts to analyse the development gaps between males and females in health, education and labour market participation dimensions, thus indicating the extent of gender disparities existing in South Asia. The statistical results exhibit that gender disparities have declined over a period of time, and health has emerged as a prominent dimension in reducing these disparities. This article suggests that South Asian countries should strengthen their healthcare systems, especially in countries such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Also, the countries should focus on bringing more females into the ambit of education, coupled with enhancing their opportunities to participate in the workforce. The road towards equality can be tread when the deep-rooted patriarchy gets challenged through a systematic approach and women become a part of the development process and economic growth.
AhmedT., & SenB. (2018). Conservative outlook, gender norms and female wellbeing: Evidence from rural Bangladesh. World Development, 111, 45–58.
2.
BardhanK., & KlasenS. (1999). UNDP’s gender-related indices: A critical review. World Development, 27(6), 985–1010.
3.
BarrH. (2024). The Taliban and the global backlash against women’s rights. Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, 25(1), 87–94.
4.
BarroR. J., & LeeJ. W. (2013). A new data set of educational attainment in the world, 1950–2010. Journal of Development Economics, 104, 184–198.
5.
BeckerG. S. (1964). Human capital: A theoretical and empirical analysis with special reference to education. University of Chicago Press.
6.
BemS. L. (1981). Gender schema theory: A cognitive account of sex typing. Psychological Review, 88(4), 354–364. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.88.4.354
7.
BeneriaL., & PermanyerI. (2010). The measurement of socio-economic gender inequality revisited. Development and Change, 41(3), 375–399.
8.
BoserupE. (1970). Women’s role in economic development. St. Martin’s Press.
9.
ChancelL., Gómez-CarreraR., MoshrifR., & PikettyT. (2026). World Inequality Report. World Inequality Lab. wir2026.wid.world
10.
ChaudharyR., & VerickS. (2014). Female labour force participation in India and beyond (Working paper no. 994). Employment Policy Department, International Labour Organization.
11.
CollinsP. H. (2000). Black feminist thought: Knowledge, consciousness and the politics of empowerment (2nd ed.). Routledge.
12.
ConnellR. W. (1987). Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. Stanford University Press.
13.
CrenshawK. (1989). Demarginalizing the intersection of race and sex: A black feminist critique of antidiscrimination doctrine, feminist theory and antiracist politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum.
14.
Down to Earth. (2024, June12). Gender gap report 2024: India fares worse than Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bhutan; scores low in political parity indices. https://www.downtoearth.org.in/governance/gender-gap-report-2024-india-fares-worse-than-bangladesh-nepal-sri-lanka-bhutan-scores-low-in-political-parity-indices
15.
EaglyA. H., & KarauS. J. (2002). Role congruity theory of prejudice towards female leaders. Psychological Review, 109(3), 573–598.
16.
ElsonD. (1999). Labour markets as gendered institutions: Equality, efficiency and empowerment issues. World Development, 27(3), 611–627.
17.
FarringtonK., & ChertokE. (1993). Social conflict theories of the family. In BossP. G., DohertyW. J., LaRossaR., SchummW. R., & SteinmetzS. K. (Eds), Sourcebook of family theories and methods: A contextual approach. Plenum.
18.
FikreeF. F., & PashaO. (2004). Role of gender in health disparity: The South Asian context. British Medical Journal, 328(7443), 823–826.
19.
GalorO., & WeilD. N. (1996). The gender gap, fertility and growth. American Economic Review, 86(3), 374–387.
20.
GramsciA. (1971). Selections from the prison notebooks. International Publishers.
21.
GunatilakaR. (2013). To work or not to work? Factors holding women back from market work in Sri Lanka. International Labour Organization, DWT for South Asia and Country Office.
22.
HabibS. S., JamalW. Z., ZaidiS. M. A., SiddiquiJ. U. R., KhanH. M., CreswellJ., BatraS., & VersfeldA. (2021). Barriers to access of healthcare services for rural women applying gender lens on TB in a rural district of Sindh, Pakistan. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(19), 10102.
23.
JensenR. (2017). The end of patriarchy: Radical feminism for men. Spinifex Press Pty Ltd.
24.
KabeerN. (2000). The power to choose: Bangladeshi women and labour market decisions in London and Dhaka. Verso.
25.
KlasenS. (2006). UNDP’s gender-related measures: Some conceptual problems and possible solutions. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 7(2), 243–274.
26.
KlasenS., & LamannaF. (2008). The impact of gender inequality in education and employment on economic growth in developing countries: Updates and extensions (Discussion paper). Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
27.
MahoneyJ., & ThelenK. (2010). Explaining institutional change: Ambiguity, agency and power. Cambridge University Press.
28.
MalhotraA., & DeGraffD. (1997). Entry versus success in the labour force: Young women’s employment in Sri Lanka. World Development, 25(2), 379–394.
29.
MisraR., & KumarV. (2023). Role of education, worker population ratio and health in reducing gender disparity: A disaggregated gender analysis of India. Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 66, 1061–1080.
30.
MukhopadhyayU. (2023). Disparities in female labour force participation in South Asia and Latin America: A review. Review of Economics, 74(3), 265–288.
31.
PrakashV., KamladeviA., & ShekharI. (2019). Gender inequality: A comparison of India and other SAARC member countries. Kardan Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(1), 45–68.
32.
RhodeD. L. (1990). Feminist critical theories. Stanford Law Review, 42(3), 617–638.
33.
RidgewayC. L. (2011). Framed by gender: How gender inequality persists in the modern world. Oxford University Press.
34.
RustagiP. (2016). Situation of women in South Asia: Some dimensions (Working paper No. 10949). eSocialSciences.
35.
SanduA. (2016). Introduction to sociology. Lumen Publishing.
36.
SARTUC. (n.d.). Overview of gender dynamics in SAARC countries.
37.
SawadaY., & LokshinM. (2009). Obstacles to school progression in rural Pakistan: An analysis of gender and sibling rivalry using field survey data. Journal of Development Economics, 88(2), 335–347.
38.
SenA. (1987). Gender and cooperative conflicts (Winder working papers). United Nations.
39.
ShayanZ. (2015) Gender inequality in education in Afghanistan: Access and barriers. Open Journal of Philosophy, 5(5), 277–284.
40.
SinghA., & LadusinghL. (2016). Life expectancy at birth and life disparity: An assessment of sex differentials in mortality in India. International Journal of Population Studies, 2(1), 38–52.
41.
UddinN., & KaiserZ. R. M. A. (2021). Accelerating employability through social safety net in rural Bangladesh: Employment generation programme for the poorest. The International Journal of Community and Social Development, 3(3), 236–254.
42.
UllahS., & MalikM. N. (2019). Impact of health on labour productivity: Empirical evidence from Pakistan. European Online Journal of Natural and Social Sciences, 8(1), 139–147.
43.
UN Women. (2025a). Gender equality in 2025: Gains, gaps, and the $342T choice. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/explainer/gender-equality-in-2025-gains-gaps-and-the-342t-choice
44.
UN Women. (2025b). Afghanistan Gender Index 2024. UN Women. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/gender-index-2024-afghanistan-en.pdf
45.
UNDP. (1995). Human development report: Gender and human development. Oxford University Press.
46.
UNDP. (2003). HDR 2003—Millennium Development Goals: A compact among nations to end human poverty (Report No. hdr2003). Human Development Report Office (HDRO).
United Nations Development Programme. (2014). Human development report 2014: Sustaining human progress: Reducing vulnerabilities and building resilience. United Nations Development Programme. https://hdr.undp.org/content/human-development-report-2014
49.
United Nations. (2020). The Sustainable Development Goals report 2020: Leaving no one behind. https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2020/The-Sustainable-Development-Goals-Report-2020.pdf
50.
UN Women. (2023). Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2023. https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/2023-09/progress-on-the-sustainable-development-goals-the-gender-snapshot-2023-en.pdf
51.
UN Women. (2024a). Afghanistan gender country profile 2024. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2024/06/gender-country-profile-afghanistan
52.
UN Women. (2024b). Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2024. https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2024/09/progress-on-the-sustainable-development-goals-the-gender-snapshot-2024
53.
VogelA., & KorinekK. (2012). Passing by the girls? Remittance allocation for educational expenditures and social inequality in Nepal’s households 2003–2004. International Migration Review, 46(1), 61–100.
54.
World Atlas. (n.d.). The countries of South Asia. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/the-population-and-economy-of-the-south-asian-countries.html
55.
World Bank Group. (n.d.). Projects by country/area. https://projects.worldbank.org/en/projects-operations/project-country
56.
World Economic Forum. (2023). Global gender gap report 2023. https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2023/
57.
World Economic Forum. (2024). Global gender gap report 2024. https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-gender-gap-report-2024/
58.
ZhangJ. (2022). Viewing environmental issues from ecofeminism-ecofeminism views in ‘The Story of One Hour’. InAdvances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, 543, 215–220.
