Youth Development Index: Indices for males and females diverge

A striking, but perhaps an expected finding of the youth development index (YDI) is that when calculated separately for males and females, it is much lower for females in all states.

Nationally, the value for females is lower by 0.13 points. “The outcome is predictable and reinforces what we have always known. However, it is a matter of great concern as the status of female youth continues to remain low, despite efforts by civil society and the government to enhance their position,” said professor Lata Narayan, co-author of the country’s first YDI report, prepared by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences.

While the national average for YDI is 0.453, when gender disparity is taken into account, it comes down to 0.444.

Among the states, the largest difference is observed in Delhi (0.20 points) and Bihar (0.19 points). The lowest is in Meghalaya, followed by Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.

However, there is no difference in YDI rankings for males and females in Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu. Further, among the 29 states, Meghalaya is the only state where YDI for females (the state ranks 4th) is higher than that for males (the state ranks 17th).

“What’s interesting is that for Kerala, which is known for the prevalence of a matrilineal system of inheritance and for progressive social development, the value of female YDI is lower by 0.14 points compared to male YDI,” the report says.

It points out that in some states known for gender bias, the difference between male and female YDI is more striking. “Delhi, which is third in overall YDI, ranks first in YDI for males, but 10th in YDI for females,” the report says.

The youth work index, when calculated separately for males (0.868) and females (0.384), indicates a wide gap in employment. In the health index too, the index for males and females is 0.612 and 0.545, respectively.