India, June 18 -- Here is a truth that often goes unnoticed: India needs women to be at parity to progress. Or it will get left behind. It is already getting left behind. This is the sad inference that emerges from the dry statistics in the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025, released recently. It ranks India a dismal 131st out of 148 countries - below every other Brics nation and trailing most of its South Asian neighbours. The fall is not so much due to regression as because other countries are closing their gender gaps faster. Our catch-up pace needs acceleration.

There is good news and bad news.

The good news is that there have been visible gains in education and political visibility. At 97%, women's educational at...