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Discrimination against women and girls carries a high development cost. This
third edition of the SIGI captures and measures gender-based discrimination in social
institutions
− social norms, practices and laws
− across 160 countries. It exposes the
ongoing prevalence of discrimination in all regions of the world and across all cultures
irrespective of their levels of income or development. The 2014 edition of the SIGI
testifies to the global nature of gender inequality but provides evidence that national
and local solutions can catalyse more equitable social transformation and improve the
development potential of countries. Moreover, the SIGI offers a unique evidence base
for measuring progress towards gender equality in a post-2015 development agenda;
it takes stock of the underlying structural barriers that deny women’s rights and their
access to justice, resources and empowerment opportunities.