Measuring Gender Inequality and Market Integration Among Rural Communities: Introducing the GIMI Survey

The Gender Inequality and Market Integration (GIMI) survey is a new methodological tool designed to assess economic and social transitions in rural and subsistence-based communities. Although anthropologists have long studied these populations, standardized measures of market integration and gender inequality remain rare, making cross-community comparisons and longitudinal analyses difficult. The GIMI survey fills this gap by incorporating key domains such as household wealth, labor participation, financial behaviors, material and social exchange, and mobility, offering a structured yet adaptable approach for field-based research. Market integration is an ongoing process shaped by environmental, economic, and social forces that vary across contexts. The GIMI survey captures both the drivers and consequences of economic transitions, allowing researchers to track how market participation alters social structures, economic stability, and inequality over time. A particular focus is given to gendered dimensions of market engagement, recognizing that shifts in labor, kinship obligations, and resource control have profound effects on gender disparities. By providing comparable and scalable measures, the GIMI survey enhances our ability to study economic transformation, inequality, and social change across diverse societies. We advocate for its adoption as a best practice for researchers working in subsistence-based populations, ensuring that ongoing transitions are systematically documented and better understood.