A team of researchers led by the Global Institute for Women’s Leadership at King’s College London has used Understanding Society to create a detailed index of gender equality across the UK’s local authorities.
The new index measures, maps and analyses “the socioeconomic outcomes of women and men across all local authorities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”. It looks at inequality under six headings:
- paid work
- unpaid work
- money
- power and participation
- education
- health.
For example, it found that women spent an average of 12 hours a week on unpaid domestic work compared to men, who did seven hours. When it came to power and participation, the index showed that 37% of councillors are women, while 63% are men.
In a case study published by the UK Data Service, some of the team behind the new index explain that the research began because the UK has not previously had a comprehensive measure of gender equality. “Existing indicators are fragmented, often inaccessible and rarely capture regional variation. The Gender Equality Index UK was developed to provide a multi-dimensional, geographically sensitive tool that addresses this evidence gap.”
Professor Heejung Chung, Director of the King’s Global Institute for Women’s leadership said of their report: “Our research highlights the benefits of gender equality for men. For instance, in contexts where men take on a greater share of unpaid care work, they tend to experience better socioeconomic outcomes. This report reaffirms that gender equality is not, and has never been, a zero-sum game. It offers a set of blueprints for how we can develop and support communities in which both men and women can prosper.”
Read the UK Data Service case study
Find out more about the Gender Equality Index UK
Findings and impactInforming PolicyPolitics and social attitudes
