More women respected in Pakistan than India: report

NEW DELHI - Compared to India, a higher percentage of women in Pakistan feel they are treated with respect, says a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report.

According to the report, 81 percent women in Pakistan are treated with respect as compared to 79 percent in India. Even Bangladesh - with 86 percent - fares better on this index than India.

The report, titled “The Real Wealth of Nations: Pathways to Human Development”, had a global launch Thursday evening and is the 20th anniversary edition.

India’s other neighbours - Sri Lanka and Nepal - however, have fewer women feeling that they are treated with dignity. In Sri Lanka, the percentage is 75 percent and in Nepal it is 44 percent.

When it comes to overall life satisfaction, however, India leads its neighbours.

This index was measured on a scale of 0-10 (0 being the least satisfied), on the basis of perceptions of individual well-being and happiness.

In this context, India scored 5.5 in overall life satisfaction. Pakistan scored 5.4, Bangladesh 5.3, Nepal 5.3 and Sri Lanka 4.7.

While a greater percentage of people in India were satisfied with the standard of living and personal health, when it comes to job satisfaction, fewer Indians said they were satisfied.

As compared to 86 percent respondents in Sri Lanka, 80 percent in Nepal, 76 percent in Bangladesh and 77 percent in Pakistan, only 74 percent people in India who are employed said they were satisfied with their jobs.

India ranks 119 on the Human Development Index (HDI) among 169 countries, the report said.