Wikigender > Wikis > The Social Institutions and Gender Index (2009)

The Social Institutions and Gender Index (2009)

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The <b>Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI)</b> is a [Pagelink infos="Composite indicator|composite indicator"] of gender equality, introduced by the [Pagelink infos="Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Development Centre|Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Development Centre"]. It solely focuses on [Pagelink infos="Social institutions|social institutions"] that have an impact on the equality between men and women. Social institutions comprise norms, values and attitudes that exist in a society in relation to women.

[Image infos="SIGI.jpg|thumb|right|350px"]
<div id="toc">
<h2>Table of Contents</h2>
<ul>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_what-are-social-institutions"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">What are social institutions?</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_construction-of-the-indicator"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Construction of the Indicator</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_use-of-the-indicator"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Use of the Indicator</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_build-your-own-ranking"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Build your own ranking!</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_the-siginbspand-the-mdgs"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">The SIGI and the MDGs</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_publications-mentioning-the-sigi"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Publications mentioning the SIGI</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_participate-in-the-debate"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Participate in the debate!</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_see-also"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">See Also</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_references"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">References</span></a></li>
	<li class="toclevel-1"><a href="#w_external-links"><span class="tocnumber">10</span> <span class="toctext">External links</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
<h2 id="w_what-are-social-institutions">What are social institutions?</h2>
Social institutions comprise norms, values and attitudes. They often manifest themselves in traditions and cultural practices that are performed by the members of a society. Social institutions have often been in existence for centuries and thus reflect the deeply enshrined normative value system of people. They can be reflected in the formal institutional framework of a society (e.g constitutions, laws, legal mechanisms). In many countries, however, social institutions constitute a separate value system that exists apart from the formal institutional framework. Especially in developing countries where formal mechanisms and the rule of law are weak, social institutions have a large impact on the social and economic life in a country.

Social institutions are particularly relevant in the area of gender equality. In many countries, the empowerment of women is a relatively new phenomenon that stands in stark contrast to the traditional way of life. Several examples show how social institutions can obstruct or completely annihilate formal legislation intended to favor gender equality.
<h2 id="w_construction-of-the-indicator">Construction of the Indicator</h2>
<b>SIGI</b> is based on a selection of indicators from the [Pagelink infos="Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base|Gender, Institutions and Development (Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base) Database"]. It specifically draws on the GID's social institutions variables that are grouped into five categories or subindices: [Pagelink infos="Family Code|Family Code"], [Pagelink infos="Violence against women|Physical Integrity"], [Pagelink infos="Civil liberties|Civil Liberties"], [Pagelink infos="Son Preference|Son Preference"] and [Pagelink infos="Ownership rights|Ownership Rights"]. The index is an unweighted average of these 5 subindices and measures on a scale from 0 to 1 the level of gender inequality in social institutions (higher levels indicate greater inequality). Each term in the SIGI formula is squared to allow for partial compensation.
<h2 id="w_use-of-the-indicator">Use of the Indicator</h2>
Econometric analysis using the SIGI have shown the significant impact of social institutions on gender equality outcomes. For example, higher levels of gender inequality in [Pagelink infos="Social institutions|social institutions"] are strongly correlated to lower participation of women in paid labor. Moreover, higher levels of inequality are not necessarily associated with per capita income. Some high-income countries in the [Pagelink infos="Women in the Middle East and North Women and African Economic Development (MENA)|Women in the Middle East and North Women and African Economic Development (MENA)"] region, for example, have high levels of gender inequality. Education, on the other hand, seems to be a strong promoter of women's rights. The higher the percentage of women who can read and write, the lower the discrimination they suffer in social institutions.
<h2 id="w_the-siginbspand-the-mdgs">The SIGI and the MDGs</h2>
<i>Could social institutions and gender inequality be the missing link to achieving the Millennium Development Goals?</i>

<a href="http://www.oecd.org/dev/development-gender/49016646.pdf">Find out more</a>.
<h2 id="w_references">References</h2>
<ul>
	<li>Johannes Jütting, Christain Morrisson, Jeff Dayton Johnson and Denis Drechsler (2008): <a href="http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a791546193~db=all~order=page">Measuring Gender (In)Equality: The OECD Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base</a>, Journal of Human Development, Volume 9, Issue 1 March 2008 , pages 65 - 86.</li>
	<li>Gita Sen (2007): <a href="http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?k=5L4JJVDZTD7F&lang=en">Informal Institutions and Gender Equality</a>, in: Jütting, Drechsler, Bartsch and de Soysa (eds.): Informal Institutions - How Social Norms Help or Hinder Development, OECD: Paris.</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="w_see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Family Code"] ([Pagelink infos="Child marriage"]; [Pagelink infos="Polygamy"]; [Pagelink infos="Parental authority"]; [Pagelink infos="Inheritance"])</li>
	<li>Physical Integrity ([Pagelink infos="Female genital cutting"]; [Pagelink infos="Violence against women"])</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Son Preference"] ([Pagelink infos="Missing Women"])</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Civil liberties"] ([Pagelink infos="Freedom of movement"]; [Pagelink infos="Freedom of dress"])</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Ownership rights"] ([Pagelink infos="Access to land"]; [Pagelink infos="Access to bank loans"]; [Pagelink infos="Access to property"])</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base"]</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base Variables: Family Code"]</li>
	<li>[Pagelink infos="Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base Variables: Social Institutions"]</li>
</ul>
<h2 id="w_external-links">External links</h2>
<ul>
	<li><a href="http://genderindex.org/">Social Institutions and Gender Index</a>, official website</li>
	<li><a href="http://genderindex.org/ranking">SIGI Ranking</a></li>
	<li><a href="http://www.eldis.org/go/display&type=Document&id=51781?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+eldis-gender+%28Eldis+Gender%29&utm_content=Google+International">Women’s rights in the Middle East and North Africa 2010</a></li>
</ul>

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