Open AccessGender Equality and Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review of Within-Country Indicators of Gender Equality in Relation to Health Outcomes
Author(s) -
Allison Milner,
Anne Kavanagh,
Anna J Scovelle,
Adrienne O’Neil,
Guyonne Kalb,
Belinda Hewitt,
Tania King
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
women's health reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2688-4844
DOI - 10.1089/whr.2020.0114
Subject(s) - gender equality , conceptualization , public health , construct (python library) , mental health , meta analysis , psychology , gender analysis , political science , demographic economics , economic growth , sociology , medicine , gender studies , psychiatry , economics , nursing , artificial intelligence , computer science , programming language
Background: Gender equality is recognized as an important political, social, and economic goal in many countries around the world. At a country level, there is evidence that gender equality may have an important influence on health. Historically gender equality has mainly been measured to allow for between-country, rather than within-country comparisons; and the association between gender equality and health outcomes within countries has been under-researched. This article thus aimed to systematically review within-country indicators of gender equality in public health studies and assess the extent to which these are related to health outcomes. Materials and Methods: We used the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach with two independent reviewers. Results: Data from the eight included studies revealed that there was heterogeneity in the way gender equality has been measured as a multidimensional construct. Associations between gender equality and a number of different health outcomes were apparent, including mortality, mental health, morbidity, alcohol consumption, and intimate partner violence, with gender equality mostly associated with better health outcomes. Conclusions: Further investigation into the effects of gender equality on health outcomes, including a clear conceptualization of terms, is critical for the development of policies and programs regarding gender equality.