How is the Gender Inequality Index (GII) calculated?

The Gender Inequality Index (GII) is calculated by taking into account three key dimensions of gender inequality: reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity.

1. Reproductive health: This dimension includes indicators such as maternal mortality rate and adolescent birth rate. These indicators reflect the disparities in access to reproductive health services and the prevalence of early pregnancies, which can hinder women's overall well-being and development.

2. Empowerment: This dimension measures gender disparities in political and decision-making power, as well as women's access to education and employment opportunities. Indicators used in this dimension include the share of parliamentary seats held by women, the percentage of women with at least secondary education, and the percentage of women in the labor force.

3. Economic activity: This dimension focuses on gender gaps in labor force participation and income. It considers indicators such as the labor force participation rate for women and men, the gender wage gap, and the percentage of women in professional and technical roles.

To calculate the GII, each of these indicators is normalized on a scale of 0 to 1, with 0 representing gender equality and 1 representing maximum inequality. The normalized values are then averaged to obtain the overall GII score. A higher GII score indicates higher levels of gender inequality, while a lower score reflects greater gender equality.

The GII provides a comprehensive measure of gender inequality, allowing policymakers and researchers to assess progress and identify areas where interventions are needed to promote gender equality and women's empowerment.