The UK Gender Equality Index, a data tool measuring gender equality gaps at the local government level, has been released. The index aims to map and track changes in the socioeconomic performance of women and men across regions. It is designed to reveal regional variations that are often overlooked by existing national indicators, enabling policymaking and civil society activities. The results will be made available as an open digital tool, accessible to users outside of academia.
The Gender Equality Index UK was developed by the King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership at King's College London. The school said the project was supported by Lloyds Banking Group. It covers 372 local authorities in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, combining existing statistics and administrative data from 2021 to 2023. It presents 19 performance indicators across six areas, including paid work, unpaid work, income, power and participation, education, and health, and also shows how regional gender gaps overlap with geographic disparities.
The visual identity was handled by Marina Wheeler's team at Pentagram London. The challenge was to simultaneously capture the rigor of data and the affinity of public communication. The logo, composed of vertically stacked color blocks, evokes an indexing and classification system, creating a patchwork of diverse voices. Color is used as a device to translate complex data into human language, and it also supports a clear navigational structure on digital maps and comparison screens.
Motion has become a core element of the brand, drawing on the grammar of infographics and data visualization to demonstrate the process of information presentation and organization through movement, intuitively conveying the index's purpose. The typography, using the monospaced typeface DM Mono, emphasizes technical accuracy while maintaining an easy-to-read tone. Pentagram explained that its neutral approach, which avoids direct gender representation, promotes fact-based discussion.
Another challenge was the limitations of data representation. Pentagram stated that, reflecting the fact that the national census only collects male and female categories, the current public index focuses on these two categories. The index management team stated that, as the data environment improves, they will consider expanding the analysis to encompass a broader range of identities.
