Gender Inequality Index (GII)

What does this indicator tell us?

The gender inequality index (GII) provides insights into gender disparities in health, empowerment and the labour market. Unlike the human development index (HDI), however, higher values in the GII indicate worse achievements.

How is it defined?

The Gender Inequality Index is a composite measure reflecting inequality in achievements between The GII is a composite measure, reflecting inequality in achievements between women and men in three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market.

• The health dimension is measured by the maternal mortality ratio and the adolescent fertility rate.

• The empowerment dimension is measured by the share of parliamentary seats held by each gender, and by secondary and higher education attainment levels.
• The labour dimension is measured by women's participation in the workforce.

The GII varies between 0 (when women and men fare equally) and 1 (when men or women fare poorly compared to the other in all dimensions). It is designed to reveal the extent to which national human development achievements are eroded by gender inequality, and to provide empirical foundations for policy analysis and advocacy efforts.

 What are the implications?

Low status restricts women’s opportunities and freedom, giving them less interaction with others and fewer opportunities for independent behaviour, restricting the transmission of new knowledge, and damaging their self-esteem and self-expression. It is a particularly important determinant of two resources for care: mothers physical and mental health, and their autonomy and control over household resources. Low status restricts women's capacity to act in their own and their children's best interests. There is a demonstrated association between women's status and malnutrition in children.

Source of data

United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Human development data (http://hdr.undp.org/en/data/).

Further reading

UNSCN. Challenges for the 21st century: a gender perspective on nutrition through the life cycle. Geneva: United Nations Standing Committee on Nutrition; 1998 (https://www.unscn.org/web/archives_resources/files/Policy_paper_No_17.pdf).

Internet resources

UNDP. Gender inequality index (GII) (http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/gender-inequality-index-gii).