Background: Gender inequality index shows reduction in human development due to inequality between men and women, which results in vulnerability to diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate gender inequality in all countries with different levels of income and analyze the relationship between gender inequality index and indicators related to children.
Methods: The present ecological study assessed all countries of the world in terms of gender inequality index and indicators related to children. All countries were analyzed by census method. The collected data were related to year 2013 and were extracted from the reports of World Bank and United Nations. Spearman correlation coefficient and one way ANOVA tests were used to check the relationship between variables. Data were analyzed using SPSS ₂₀ software.
Results: There was a significant difference in terms of gender inequality in countries with different levels of income (p < 0.05). The results further showed a significant positive relationship between gender inequality index and infants' (children younger than five years) mortality rate in countries with different income levels. No statistically significant relationship was found between gender inequality index and the percentage of children vaccinated against measles in OECD countries and non OECD countries (p = 0.932, p = 0.389).
Conclusion: Increase in gender inequality can enhance the mortality of infants and children less than five years; it also can decrease the percentage of vaccination coverage in children. However, gender inequality happens more in countries with less income. Therefore, to reduce child mortality, not only health interventions, but also socio-cultural and economic activities are required. Hence, Cross-sectoral policies should be developed and implemented.