Demographic change and gender inequality: A comparative study of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka

Gender equality and empowerment of women is today recognized globally as a key element in the achievement of progress in myriad areas, the charter of the United Nations signed in 1945 was the first international covenant that proclaimed gender equality as a fundamental right. Millennium Development Goals and Main Targets for 2015 (UN, MGDs, 2005) recognize promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women is pivotal to its realization. In this paper an attempts is made to understand the demographic changes and gender inequality in the States of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. The analysis is primarily based on secondary data culled out from Census of India reports and other published documents. The gender gap in index of deprivation (IOD) of CLDI was lower in Karnataka than M.P. Karnataka’s Sex ratio is also distinctly better than that of M.P. Similarly, men and women in Karnataka have better longevity over that of M.P.