Relationship between Happiness and Gender Inequality Index: Canonical Commonality Analysis

Abstract

Happiness is an important subject for policy makers in today’s world as improving happiness has been recognized as important for increasing the gross national product (GNP) of a country. Although the relationship between gender inequality and happiness has been investigated in previous studies, gender inequality has not been considered from the perspective of reproductive health, empowerment, and economic status. This study considers these perspectives at the country level and evaluates the relationship between gender inequality and happiness using the sub-indicators of Gender Inequality Index (GII) and Happy Planet Index (HPI) for canonical commonality analysis of 150 countries. Findings reveal a significant correlation between HPI and GII and that maternal mortality rate has a more unique effect on the canonical covariate compared to economic status and empowering women.