Journal Abstract

Equal Measures 2030 introduces the 2019 SDG Gender Index in the global report that highlights the power of data for gender equality. The Index is the complete mechanism known to investigate the state of gender equality across 129 countries, 14 of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and 51 targets correlated to issues innate in the SDGs. This study explores the progress of gender equality in South Asian countries, comprising Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan. The study indicates the poorer performance of South Asian countries in the SDG Gender index. It draws attention to the SDG-4 performances of South Asian countries as it has a strong gender perspective, grounded in evidence on the close links between girls’ education and social and economic development, including poverty reduction. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, the study explores SDG 2020 projections and assesses the performance and rate of progress and acceleration timespan for South Asian countries toward gender equality by 2030. The overall comparison confirms that the performance of no country has been satisfactory in the SDG Gender Index.  Sri Lanka is leading, ranked 1st in South Asia, and 15th in Asia and the Pacific region.  Bangladesh and Pakistan are the worst performers in South Asia. Equal Measures 2030 serve to enhance girls' and women’s status, champion their abilities, and advocate their equality through policies and actions at the ground level.