Abstract
Despite significant progress over past decades, gender inequalities persist in the United Kingdom. Mounting evidence suggests that gender inequalities are experienced differently across local areas. For potential policy interventions to be effective, we need to understand the spatial variations in gender inequalities in the UK, especially given the country’s high levels of regional inequality. Yet, to date, no comprehensive sub-national measurement of gender equality exists for the UK.
With funding from the Lloyd’s Banking Group, the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership is developing an Index to measure and map gender equality levels and their variation across local areas in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The UK Gender Equality Index focuses on the following domains of women’s and men’s lives: paid work, unpaid work, money, power & participation, education, health, and violence against women and girls. The Index draws on existing data measured on the Local Authority District level, covering 374 areas across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Our intention is for the domain of violence against women and girls, unlike the other domains, to focus exclusively on women-specific outcomes.
In advance of the launch of the Index, we are publishing a series of thematic reports for each of the domains to document the state of gender inequalities in the UK. The first in the series, this report focuses on violence against women and girls (VAWG). It highlights the limited availability of reliable and granular data which prohibits us from consistently measuring and mapping the prevalence and spatial variation of different forms of VAWG across the four nations. Based on the definitions of different forms of VAWG covered by UK national and international legislation, we review the data landscape to highlight conceptual and methodological gaps to propose recommendations for improvement.
With a general election on the horizon, it is critical that UK political parties prioritise the elimination of gender-based violence in pursuit of equality and higher quality of life for all. We call on parties to respond and demonstrate their commitment by including specific policies proposals in their own election manifestos that reflect the recommendations put forward in this report.
With funding from the Lloyd’s Banking Group, the King’s Global Institute for Women’s Leadership is developing an Index to measure and map gender equality levels and their variation across local areas in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The UK Gender Equality Index focuses on the following domains of women’s and men’s lives: paid work, unpaid work, money, power & participation, education, health, and violence against women and girls. The Index draws on existing data measured on the Local Authority District level, covering 374 areas across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Our intention is for the domain of violence against women and girls, unlike the other domains, to focus exclusively on women-specific outcomes.
In advance of the launch of the Index, we are publishing a series of thematic reports for each of the domains to document the state of gender inequalities in the UK. The first in the series, this report focuses on violence against women and girls (VAWG). It highlights the limited availability of reliable and granular data which prohibits us from consistently measuring and mapping the prevalence and spatial variation of different forms of VAWG across the four nations. Based on the definitions of different forms of VAWG covered by UK national and international legislation, we review the data landscape to highlight conceptual and methodological gaps to propose recommendations for improvement.
With a general election on the horizon, it is critical that UK political parties prioritise the elimination of gender-based violence in pursuit of equality and higher quality of life for all. We call on parties to respond and demonstrate their commitment by including specific policies proposals in their own election manifestos that reflect the recommendations put forward in this report.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | London |
| Publisher | Global Institute for Women's Leadership |
| Number of pages | 30 |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Feb 2024 |
