WUNRN
Link to 2012 SIGI Results Summary- 36 Pages:
SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS & GENDER
INDEX - SIGI
The
Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI)was first launched by the OECD Development Centre in 2009 as a
innovative measure of the underlying drivers of gender inequality for over 100
countries. Instead of measuring gender gaps in outcomes such as employment and
education, the SIGI instead captures discriminatory social institutions,
such as early marriage, discriminatory inheritance practices, violence against
women, son preference, restricted access to public space and restricted access
to land and credit.
The
2012 SIGI is made up of 14 unique variables, grouped into 5 sub-indices:
Discriminatory Family Code, Restricted Physical Integrity, Son Bias, Restricted
Resources and Entitlements and Restricted Civil Liberties.
Since
the SIGI was launched in 2009, countries have introduced new laws, there have
been changes in practices and data sources have improved. The 2012 SIGI
represents an updated methodological and conceptual framework and improved data
sources for over 100 countries.
Download a summary of the 2012 SIGI results here.
The composition of SIGI |
Why measure discriminatory social institutions? |
There
is now widespread consensus that gender equality matters for development,
economic growth and poverty reduction. Improving women’s education,
employment and health outcomes not only delivers benefits for women but for
whole communities and economies. However, as has become apparent with the
sluggish progress towards MDG targets, there remain significant obstacles to
achieving equal outcomes for women and men on key economic and social
indicators. Research using the SIGI has found that, discriminatory social
institutions, such as women's lack of access to resources, discrimination in
the family and gender-based violence are related to: ·
Poor progress
on MDGs such as child health, maternal mortality and primary school
completion. ·
Lower
agricultural production and food insecurity. ·
The feminisation of informal employment. Policy
interventions are too often designed without taking into account the role of
discriminatory social institutions in driving unequal outcomes for women and
girls. For example, interventions to increase access to education for
girls often do not take account of the status of girls in the
family, sexual harassment in the school environment or social norms regarding
early marriage. By capturing discriminatory social institutions,
policy-makers and donors can understand identify the often invisible areas
where resources and interventions should be targeted to promote gender
equality, poverty reduction and development. |