This repository was developed by the Gender Equity Unit at Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Population Council, based upon original work done by the Population Council.

The gender scales and surveys included are a set of carefully curated measures that have been used widely and have been validated in multiple settings. They have been used in social, health, and behavioral science research and program evaluations in a number of low, middle, and high income countries. This research has addressed a number of health and development topics such as sexual and reproductive health (SRH), HIV, STIs and other infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and health systems strengthening research. They are used both to monitor gender-related views and experiences as well as evaluate the effects of programs.  

What is a scale?
A scale is a tool that combines multiple items/questions into a numerical score to measure an underlying concept. 

Why a compendium of gender scales?

There is no single “gold standard” for measuring gender norms, gender attitudes, empowerment, and other aspects of gender. Researchers often use multiple measures. Using a single question is not recommended because gender operates in multiple spheres and has many facets. Given the large number of gender-related measures and scales that have been developed, the Gender Equity Unit  and Population Council sought to create a repository that offers a curated list of such scales and their psychometric properties (i.e. how they have been validated) as well as their uses over time.  

Other compendiums exist that can also provide useful information. For example, in March 2010, the C-Change Project (funded by USAID) convened a working group of researchers with expert knowledge of gender scales to review those scales in current use. The participants identified about 10 scales that measure adherence to gender norms and reviewed how they have been used to measure the success of interventions in changing these norms. The Population Council compendium developed under the Evidence Project - which was supported by USAID from 2013-21 and focused on strengthening Family Planning/Reproductive Health programming through Implementation Science – largely focused on SRH and SGBV and included more than 600 measures.  

In 2023, the Gender Equity Unit set out to create a compendium of select gender scales that would be relevant for a range of health and development outcomes, and particularly would be useful for practitioners and policy makers. In collaboration with the original team at The Population Council, we have launched this expanded, updated repository. 

The compendium is not exhaustive. It does not encompass all scales and surveys appropriate for studying gender and health outcomes, and it does not identify which scale is best for any specific study or evaluation. This is a living repository and additional scales can be added over time. If you have comments or suggestions for improvement, please email teamgenderhealth@jh.edu