Is 'gender equality in health' the right goal? Exploring issues of definition and measurement.

Abstract

Achieving 'gender equality in health' has been advocated by many as a key goal in health globally; however, we observe this goal has been defined differently by different users. In this paper, we explore the question of how progress towards gender equality in health has been defined and measured, and how the selection of indicators and targets can influence perceptions of who in a population is suffering disadvantage. We summarise the common population health measures-such as life expectancy and risk exposure-and illustrate how each of these measures may lead to different conclusions about gender equality in health. We call for more specificity when defining and measuring gender inequality in health, and propose expanding the focus from 'gender inequalities' (comparison between genders) to also addressing 'within-gender inequities' (a focus that incorporates addressing inequities within different gender identity groups).