A demographic perspective on gender inequality
Population and Societies
n° 517, December 2014
Recent decades have seen major advances in gender equality. Are men and women now truly equal? The research conducted by INED’s Demography, Gender and Societies research unit confirms that much has been accomplished, but that the road ahead remains long.
Demographic studies have revealed the extent of recent progress in gender equality, but also the distance still to be covered. In a wide range of areas – be it representations in school textbooks, career trajectories, the division of household and parenting tasks, the evolution of conjugal and sexual norms, exposure to violence or health and disability – survey data all provide concordant evidence. Men’s and women’s trajectories are becoming more similar, but inequality still exists, most often to the detriment of women.
