'The Global Gender Gap Index presented in this Report seeks to measure one important aspect of gender equality—the relative gaps between women and men across four key areas: health, education, economy and politics. The Index was developed in part to address the need for a consistent and comprehensive measure for gender equality that can track a country’s progress over time. More than a decade of data has revealed that progress is still too slow for realizing the full potential of one half of humanity within our lifetimes. .The Index does not seek to set priorities for countries but rather to provide a comprehensive set of data and a clear method for tracking gaps on critical indicators so that countries may set priorities within their own economic, political and cultural contexts. The Index also points to potential role models by revealing those countries that—within their region or income group—are leaders in distributing resources more equitably between women and men, regardless of the overall level of available resources.'
'Authors looks at how far the IMF has already fulfilled its commitment to deepen its policy advice on gender and bring this into its operational work, in particular in a sustainable way. Then they look at some of the implications of adopting this broader approach to macro-criticality for the work on gender. And finally, they examine what role conventional IMF policy advice plays in supporting the realisation of SDG 5. These questions will be asked in the context of the three core areas of IMF policy advice. .Having tested IMF research and policy advice in the context of its mandate and core functions against a survey of literature and research, the findings indicate that the macro-economic policy implications of gender equality and the realisation of SDG 5 will necessitate much deeper engagement by the Fund.'