Gender Counts: a quantitative assessment of gender inequality and its impacts on girls and boys in Asia and the Pacific

This is the first ever comprehensive analysis of gender inequality among 0-18 year olds in low and middle-income countries in Asia and the Pacific. Conducted in partnership with UNICEF, we first defined a core set of indicators across four domains relevant to child and adolescent wellbeing (health, education and employment, protection, and safe environments) and two domains that described societal gender equality and socio-economic development. We then used national-level data from 40 countries to populate almost 100 indicators to identify where inequalities exist between boys and girls, and when they emerge during the life course. 

This work has described critical areas of disadvantage impacting on girls and boys, and will help guide more effective and inclusive policy in the region. Four sub-regional reports providing detailed findings will be launched in 2019.

Gender inequality is one of the most fundamental challenges facing sustainable development, and is also a critical determinant of child and adolescent health. While efforts have been made to understand how gender inequality impacts on women, little is known about how it impacts on health and wellbeing in the first two decades of life.