UNDP's gender-related indices: A critical review

This paper critically reviews the two gender-related indices proposed by UN DP in the 1995 Human Development Report, the Gender-Related Development Ind ex (GDI) and the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM). While supporting the nee d to develop indicators that reliably track women's empowerment (GEM) as we ll as the impact of gender inequality on overall human development (GDI), w e argue that the particular ways in which these indices were constructed an d the assumptions made to overcome data gaps severely limit their usefulnes s and result in very misleading international comparisons. Wherever appropr iate, we suggest remedies for some of the shortcomings identified. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.