Publication year: 2022
Chimaraoke Izugbara, Heather Marlow, Laura Hinson, Elizabeth Anderson, Erin Leasure & Connor Roth for the International Center for Research on Women

This 2022 report published by the International Center for Research on Women provides evidence that women’s participation in politics is key to forming effective gender equity policies that improve socio-political, economic, educational and health outcomes for all.

This report presents the findings of a global scan of effective and promising gender equity policies that can inform and inspire current efforts in the United States (U.S.) to improve socio-political, economic, educational and health outcomes for all – but are also applicable elsewhere.

“Promoting gender equity is smart development policy. Current efforts to understand how and why the world shrinks for some people and expands for others continue to underscore the far-reaching implications of gender inequity for women, men, girls, boys and people of all gender identities.”

Countries included in the scan were identified using the Global Gender Gap Index, a composite measure of several indicators in health, education, economy and politics, used to track progress on the gaps in these domains between women and men globally. In areas where the index measures were less relevant to the U.S. context (health and education), we instead relied on other global measures. Ultimately, policies in 11 countries were examined in the domains of political participation, economic participation and opportunity, health and education.