Inequality in Human Development

Questions and Answers

What is the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI)?

A modification of the HDI to account for inequality.

What does a lower IHDI compared to HDI indicate?

Higher inequality.

Brazil has less inequality than Turkey despite both having similar HDI.

True

Which countries are identified as having the lowest Human Development Index scores?

Sub-Saharan Africa Signup and view all the answers

What three dimensions does the Gender-related Development Index (GDI) measure?

Income, education, life expectancy. Signup and view all the answers

What does a GII score of 0.0 indicate?

Women and men fare equally Signup and view all the answers

What is the Gender Inequality Index (GII)?

An indicator that measures the extent of gender inequality in reproductive health, empowerment, and the labor market. Signup and view all the answers

Gender inequality has increased since the 1990s in most countries.

False Signup and view all the answers

What are the two indicators used to measure empowerment?

Percentage of seats held by women in the national legislature and percentage of women who have completed secondary school. Signup and view all the answers

Which region has the highest percentage of women in national parliament?

Europe Signup and view all the answers

What is the labor force participation rate for women worldwide compared to men?

54% of women work outside the home compared to 77% of men. Signup and view all the answers

What does the Maternal Mortality Rate indicate?

The number of women who die giving birth per 100,000 births. Signup and view all the answers

What is the Adolescent Fertility Rate?

The number of births per 1,000 women ages 15-19. Signup and view all the answers

Who proposed the world-systems analysis of core and periphery?

Immanuel Wallerstein. Signup and view all the answers

Which countries are considered core countries?

North America Signup and view all the answers

Developed countries have higher GII scores than developing countries.

False Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI)

Measures inequality within a country; perfect equality results in IHDI equaling HDI.
Greater gap between IHDI and HDI indicates higher inequality levels.
Developed countries typically show a modest level of inequality, whereas Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia exhibit the lowest scores, indicating the highest inequality.

Inequality Within Developing Countries

Brazil has less inequality than Turkey despite similar HDI rankings.
Inequality can also be examined through GNI per capita disparities among states or provinces.
Wealth distribution varies in Turkey, with the west being wealthier, while in Brazil, the east (coastal regions) shows greater affluence.

Inequality Within Developed Countries

Regional variations in GNI per capita are less pronounced in developed countries.
In the U.S., GNI per capita is 122% of the national average in the wealthiest region and 90% in the poorest.
Historical trends show a decrease in the gap between rich and poor until the 1980s, after which inequality has risen again.

GDI measures the gender gap across income, education, and life expectancy.
Countries are ranked based on deviation from gender parity; a perfect parity results in a GDI of 1.000.
Average GDI in developed regions is 0.975, compared to 0.904 in developing regions, with lowest scores found in SSA, South Asia, Southwest Asia, and North Africa.

Gender Inequality Index (GII)

GII assesses the gender gap in reproductive health, empowerment, and labor market participation.
A GII of 0.0 indicates gender equality, while 1.0 signifies extreme inequality.
Developed countries exhibit lower GII compared to developing countries, with SSA and South Asia facing the highest gender inequalities, especially in reproductive health and empowerment.

GII Over Time

Gender inequality has generally declined since the 1990s among most countries, with minimal improvements in the U.S. (ranked 47 in GII).
Contributing factors to low GII in the U.S. include high teen birth rates and lower percentages of women in legislative positions.
Significant improvements noted in Southwest Asia and North Africa.

Empowerment

Empowerment gauged by the percentage of women in national legislatures and those completing secondary education.
Rwanda leads with a majority of women in its national parliament; European countries show significant female representation.
Secondary school completion rates highlight disparities, with global completion at 54% for women versus 64% for men; variances are pronounced in developing regions.

Employment

Globally, 54% of women participate in the labor force compared to 77% of men.
Developed countries showcase higher likelihood of full-time employment for women compared to their counterparts in developing nations.
Regions like South Asia and Southwest Asia have larger labor participation gaps, unlike East Asia and SSA.

Reproductive Health

Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR): 16 per 100,000 births in developed regions vs. 171 in developing regions, with SSA being the highest.
Adolescent Fertility Rate (AFR): 19 per 1,000 in developed countries vs. 53 in developing nations, again peaking in SSA at 110 per 1,000.
Countries improving reproductive health face lower fertility rates and better maternal and child health outcomes.

Core and Periphery

Immanuel Wallerstein identifies core (developed) and periphery (developing) countries in world-systems analysis.
Core regions (North America, Europe, Japan, South Korea) dominate economic activity and wealth distribution.
Semi-periphery regions are emerging economically, forming connections between core and periphery nations.

Comparing HDI and GII

HDI measures overall development, with higher scores indicating better development levels.
GII reflects the degree of gender inequality, with higher scores denoting greater inequality.
Development analysts observe that More Developed Countries (MDCs) generally have less gender inequality than developing nations.

Female Labor Force Participation Rate

Represents the percentage of women in full-time employment outside the home.
Women in East Asia and SSA often engage in agricultural or service industries despite high fertility rates.

Maternal Mortality Rate

Indicates the number of deaths during childbirth per 100,000 live births.
Highest maternal mortality rates are prevalent in SSA.

Adolescent Fertility Rate

Refers to the birth rates per 1,000 women aged 15-19.
Highest adolescent fertility rates occur in SSA, recorded at 110 per 1,000 women.

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Description

Explore the Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) and its implications for understanding inequality across countries. This quiz covers comparisons between developed and developing nations, highlighting regional disparities and wealth distribution. Discover the nuances of inequality in countries like Brazil and Turkey, as well as insights into the United States.