By Dileep V Kumar Dileep V Kumar Publis
Kerala gears up to document six decades of gender empowerment and hurdles
According to the concept note, the report aims to track the state’s journey in achieving gender equality and development over the decades while identifying persistent gaps and emerging challenges.
Synopsis: Kerala is set to unveil a comprehensive Gender Development Report, documenting the state’s progress since 1956. The initiative aims to offer crucial insights to inform future policy decisions, identify persistent gaps, and chart a roadmap for a more inclusive and gender-just Kerala.
In a significant step towards assessing and advancing gender equality, Kerala is set to unveil a comprehensive Gender Development Report, documenting the state’s progress since 1956.
Prepared by the Gender Park in collaboration with UN Women, the report will provide an in-depth analysis of Kerala’s achievements and challenges across key sectors, including education, health, employment, political participation, economic empowerment and social justice.
The initiative aims to offer crucial insights to inform future policy decisions, identify persistent gaps, and chart a roadmap for a more inclusive and gender-just Kerala. The finalisation of the Gender Development Report is expected by the end of December 2025.
The Gender Park, established in 2013, is an initiative of the Government of Kerala to work towards gender equality and empowerment in the state.
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Identifying gaps and gains
Conceived by the Gender Park under the Department of Women and Child Development through a detailed concept note submitted in May to the state government, the report aims to offer a holistic evaluation of the state’s progress in achieving gender equality since its formation on 1 November
It will critically examine multiple sectors — including education, health, employment, economic empowerment, political participation, social justice, infrastructure, and environmental sustainability — to identify existing gaps, challenges, and opportunities.
The initiative comes at a crucial time when understanding the real impact of policies and interventions on gender equity is imperative.
By documenting best practices and pinpointing areas requiring urgent attention, the report is expected to serve as a valuable resource for policy formulation and programme implementation.
It will provide actionable insights into Kerala’s achievements and shortcomings, helping chart a clear roadmap for future efforts in creating an inclusive and gender-just society.
Beyond merely chronicling statistics, this report promises to reflect the lived realities of women and marginalised genders in Kerala, offering both a retrospective of the roads travelled and a forward-looking strategy to navigate the path ahead.
Shaping policy
According to the concept note, the report aims to track the state’s journey in achieving gender equality and development over the decades while identifying persistent gaps and emerging challenges.
It highlighted that despite Kerala’s impressive literacy rates, better health indicators, and progressive welfare measures for women, including political reservations, livelihood support, and protections against violence, several issues continue to demand urgent attention.
Rising incidents of violence against women, low female workforce participation, wage disparities and patriarchal social attitudes that limit women’s economic and leadership opportunities remain significant concerns, the concept note stated.
The report’s key objectives include mapping the state’s progress, highlighting areas where inequalities persist, and informing evidence-based policy interventions.
It will also document best practices, success stories, and lessons learned from Kerala’s gender empowerment initiatives.
At a time when gender issues have grown in complexity, the report is expected to serve as both a mirror and a roadmap — reflecting how far the state has come and guiding it towards a more inclusive, equitable future where women are active, equal participants in all spheres of life.
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Mixed-methods, global and national data
The concept note says that the comprehensive report will employ a mixed-methods approach, blending both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. The methodology involves a retrospective analysis of Kerala’s 68-year-long gender development trajectory.
It will rely heavily on secondary data sources, including government reports, academic research, budget documents, policy records, and legislative debates.
The Director of Gender Park said that the data would be collated from various government departments, including but not limited to the Department of Women and Child Development, Health, Labour, Education, and Economics and Statistics.
Additionally, academic studies, articles, and publications from universities and research institutions will inform the report.
Financial documents, like budget speeches, expenditure statements and annual reports, from autonomous institutions and public sector undertakings will also be reviewed.
The study will incorporate insights from both national and international sources, including the National Family Health Survey (NFHS), Census of India, and reports from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Existing databases such as the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and other official online data portals will serve as crucial repositories for relevant statistics.
The drafting of the report will commence once the data compilation and analysis are completed. A draft version will be circulated among subject experts, government officials, and stakeholders for peer review and critical feedback. Based on the recommendations received, the final report will be refined and completed.
Paid internships for landmark report prep
It’s learnt that, to prepare a comprehensive Gender Development Report for Kerala, the Gender Park has sought approval to appoint three paid interns for three months.
With a monthly stipend of ₹10,000 for each intern, the proposed internship program would cost ₹90,000 in total.
Officials from the Gender Park stated that this step was essential due to limited in-house human resource capacity and would ensure timely and quality preparation of the report, which aims to map Kerala’s gender equality.
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Kerala’s gender paradox
Kerala has long been hailed for its progressive strides in human development, with gender equality playing a central role in its social and development policies.
The state boasts one of the narrowest gender gaps in education, health, and basic capabilities in the country — a testament to decades of inclusive interventions. Women in Kerala have increasingly made their presence felt in social, political, and public spheres, particularly at the grassroots level.
However, as noted by the Kerala State Planning Board’s Working Group on Gender and Development in 2022, their representation remains disproportionately low in apex decision-making bodies of political, social, and religious significance.
It also said that there was substantial evidence suggesting that women fell behind in access to economic opportunities, resources, assets and equal voice and participation in decision making in the state.
Despite progressive indicators, systemic barriers and discriminatory employment practices continue to limit opportunities for women, underscoring the need for deeper, structural reforms to ensure true gender parity in leadership and the workforce.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)