Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40204464›Full record

ReviewBMJ global health2025

Is 'gender equality in health' the right goal? Exploring issues of definition and measurement.

Angela Y Chang, Sarah Hawkes, Kent Buse, Virginia Zarulli

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in BMJ global health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Angela Y ChangDanish Institute for Advanced Study, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark achang@health.sdu.dk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3947-3588
Sarah HawkesGlobal Health 50/50, Cambridge, UK.
Kent BuseGlobal Health 50/50, Cambridge, UK.
Virginia ZarulliStatistical Sciences and Science Statistics, University of Padova, Padua, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Achieving 'gender equality in health' has been advocated by many as a key goal in health globally; however, we observe this goal has been defined differently by different users. In this paper, we explore the question of how progress towards gender equality in health has been defined and measured, and how the selection of indicators and targets can influence perceptions of who in a population is suffering disadvantage. We summarise the common population health measures-such as life expectancy and risk exposure-and illustrate how each of these measures may lead to different conclusions about gender equality in health. We call for more specificity when defining and measuring gender inequality in health, and propose expanding the focus from 'gender inequalities' (comparison between genders) to also addressing 'within-gender inequities' (a focus that incorporates addressing inequities within different gender identity groups).

Indexed as

Gender EquityHealth Status DisparitiesFemaleGlobal HealthGoalsHumansLife ExpectancyMaleGlobal Health

Identifiers

PMID40204464
PMCPMC12056647

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.