Belarus among leaders in Europe and Central Asia for gender equality
Specialists from the UN Department of Public Information in Belarus explain that the Gender Equality Index (GEI) evaluates across three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment, and labour market participation. Reproductive health is measured by the maternal mortality ratio and the adolescent pregnancy rate; empowerment is determined by the share of parliamentary seats held by women and by their attainment of secondary and higher education; the labour market dimension is measured by women’s participation in the workforce and the distribution of roles between men and women. Belarus’ Gender Inequality Index is 0.152: 28th among 149 countries. Azerbaijan ranks 62nd.
Equality with men
The Gender-Related Development Index (GDI) was included in the Human Development Report (HDR) for the first time in 2014. The latter measures three main dimensions: health (male and female life expectancy at birth); education attainment (time spent at school and the average number of years spent by adults aged 25 and over in education); and the management of economic resources (each gender’s contribution to GDP per capita). The Gender-Related Development Index currently covers 149 states. In 2013, the GDI reached 0.793 for Belarusian women, and 0.777 for men: as a result, Belarus’ GDI is 1.021.
The HDR is an annual milestone published by the Human Development Report Office of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) since 1990. The 2014 HDR Sustaining Human Progress: Reducing Vulnerabilities and Building Resilience features two closely interrelated concepts vital to achieving progress in human development.
