On the Measurement of Gender Equality and Gender‐related Development Levels

Abstract

The aim of this paper is, first, to present an overall development index corrected for gender differences — the ‘Multidimensional Gender‐related Development Index’ (MGDI) — which can be viewed as an alternative to the Gender‐related Development Index. Secondly, to present a ‘Multidimensional Gender Equality Index’ (MGEI) that is not influenced by overall development levels. The new MGDI and MGEI are intended to overcome some of the shortcomings that characterize both the United Nations Development Programme's gender‐related indices — the Gender‐related Development and the Gender Empowerment Measure — and other indices that try to measure gender inequality by itself. This is accomplished through an innovative approach in which we first outline the theoretical properties of a reasonable gender equality measure and an overall development index corrected for gender differences, and then present an appropriate measure that contains all those properties at the same time.

Keywords:

• Gender‐related Development Index
• Gender Equality Index
• Measurement
• Absolute and relative differences

Notes

1. It could be argued that, in many empirical cases, the functioning achievement level variable for men (y) is not usually close to zero, so that the unboundness of G₂  = x/y is not likely to be problematic. However, it should be borne in mind that the functionings that could be taken into account in an assessment of the existing gender differences in a given society might eventually be very different from the classical ones in which males predominate. As the list of potentially relevant functionings is open‐ended, it might well be that one includes some new dimensions in which men (or women) perform very poorly. In that case, G₂ could take distortedly high values, a problem that is avoided by introducing G₃ . I am grateful to an anonymous referee for this observation.

2. However, the process is available upon request from the author for anyone who might be interested.

3. Available from the author upon request.

4. Can be located online [http://www.undp.org].