Even as 76.7% women in India had their own bank accounts or used mobile money services in the 12 months preceding 2017, gender based violence continues to impact a significant number with 28.8% women of 15 years and above facing physical or sexual violence at the hands of an intimate partner, according to the Human Development Report 2020. A comparison with other countries over the reference period from 2005-2019 shows that as far as intimate partner violence goes among India’s immediate neighbours, the percentage of women affected was 54.2% in Bangladesh. However, when compared to India, in Pakistan and Nepal the percentage was lower at 24.5% and 25% respectively. Even in Norway which is ranked at the top on the UNDP’s Human Development Index it turns out that 27% women faced intimate partner violence. The percentages are 29% and 28% respectively for the UK and Sweden. While the share of female graduates in India among all graduates of tertiary programmes in science, technology, engineering and mathematics is 42.7%, data on another empowerment parameter about proportion of women in total employment in senior and middle management shows a dismal 13.7% women in this category. Highlighting the problem of child marriage, the report shows that percentage of women aged 2024 who were first married or in union before age 18 (2005-19) was a significant 27% in India. Bangladesh (59%) and Nepal (40%) fare worse, whereas Pakistan does better than all three at 18%. Interestingly, India finds itself well placed among countries as far as mandatory paid maternity leave is concerned with 182 days as the mandatory minimum number of calendar days that legally must be paid by the government, the employer or both to the mother. This paid leave period is 128 days in China, 112 days in France and Spain, 105 days in Canada and 98 days in Switzerland and Japan. On the issue of reproductive health and family planning it turns out that 53% married or in-union women of reproductive age 1549 years in India (2009-19) were using different kinds of contraceptives. The percentage of women who were attended to at least once during pregnancy by skilled health personnel – a doctor, nurse or midwife was 79.3% (2009-19). The proportion of births attended by skilled health personnel (20142019) was 81.4%. The HDR for 189 countries shows that women’s empowerment is unequal across indicators and countries.