This annual report, launched in 2006, assesses the gap in men/women parity in 136 countries and in four sectors: opportunities and economic equality; access to education; health; and political participation and representation in decision-making bodies. These sectors are sub-divided into 14 variables of which 13 are extracted from data published by international organisations, such as the International Labour Organization, the United Nations Development Programme or the World Health Organization. The index identifies the improvements in these countries through comparisons with previous years.