An analysis of spatial variation of gender disparity in Hugli district of West Bengal

Freedom of thought, speech and action along with equal access to economic, social and cultural infrastructure to all citizens is essential for the social development of a nation. Yet, gender discrimination and inequality in the socio-cultural and economic fronts exists and acts as a deep rooted evil in the Indian society. Inspite of several initiatives by the Government and different NGOs, the relative position of women in comparison to men in the Indian society remains dismal. Gender disparity implies denial of equality and human rights to women and the freedom to make decisions which affects their lives and results in widening gaps in the human capabilities and functioning associated between men and women. It also has a critical implication on the economic growth of a nation. It is assumed that the status of women and discrimination against them are inversely related and therefore measuring women's status is strongly related to measuring gender discrimination.

Hugli district in the state of West Bengal in India occupies an important position in the gender development ladder of the state. As per West Bengal Human Development Report, 2010, the district occupies the third position in terms of gender development index, although, in overall human development ladder it ranks sixth. It indicates that along with economic development women in the district are marching forward almost equally with men in overall well-being, especially when compared to most of the other districts of the state. However, it does not mean gender disparity is non-existent in the district. In fact, the degree of inequality is more visible at the sub-district block level. The issue of gender disparity is receiving increasing academic and policy attention in the recent years and the present study attempts to investigate and highlight the spatial variation of gender disparity in Hugli district.