Statistical Terms Glossary

The killing of young children, within weeks of birth, often by burying them alive. Infanticide was often committed by fathers, grandfathers, or a member of the family who has power. In the pre-Islamic days it was common, but Islam forbids it.

Potential of an institution to deliver upon its gender mainstreaming commitments and the ability to identify and solve implementation-related problems.

Ensures that organizational procedures and mechanisms do not reinforce patterns of gender inequality. Institutional gender mainstreaming seeks structural changes, calls for a transformation of the public health agenda that includes the participation of women (and other marginalized groups) in defining and implementing public health priorities and activities. It aims at ensuring gender equality dimensions in strategic agendas, policy statements and monitoring and evaluation of organizational performance.

Bodies mandated to promote gender equality and support mainstreaming of gender equality into general policies in all areas, usually consisting of the central government body complemented with an inter ministerial coordinating gender mainstreaming structure and contact persons or focal points responsible for gender mainstreaming in ministries.

Refers to death deliberately inflicted on a person by another person, including infanticide.

The Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) is a network of Gender Focal Points in United Nations offices, specialized agencies, funds and programmes and is chaired by UN Women. UN Women also serves as the Secretariat for the Network. All UN member entities are represented in the Network. The network supports and monitors the implementation of: the Beijing Platform for Action adopted at the Fourth World Conference on Women and the outcome of the twenty-third United Nations General Assembly special session "Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century" (Beijing+5); and gender-related recommendations emanating from other recent UN General Assembly special sessions, conferences and summits, especially by ensuring effective co-operation and coordination throughout the UN system. The Network also monitors and oversees the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the programmatic, normative and operational work of the UN system. IANWGE's work follows guidelines recommended by the United Nations System Chief Executives Board (CEB) for Coordination, and its two high level committees, the High Level Committee on Programmes (HLCP) and the High Level Committee on Management (HLCM).

Intermediate barriers and causes of gender inequality , also commonly referred to as ‘gender bottlenecks’, determine options and opportunities available to persons according to their gender. These might include girls’ and women’s greater concerns for safety and mobility when using washrooms or collecting water, or heavier burdens and responsibilities in the household.

A person who has been forced to leave their home, in particular as a result of armed conflict, generalized violence, violations of human rights, or natural or human-made disasters, but has not crossed an internationally recognized state border.

On 19 December 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 66/170 declaring 11 October the International Day of the Girl Child to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.

Discrimination that takes place on the basis of several personal grounds or characteristics/identities, which operate and interact with each other at the same time in such a way as to be inseparable.

A feminist sociological theory first coined by American civil rights advocate Kimberlé Crenshaw in 1989. Intersectionality refers to overlapping social identities and the related systems of oppression, domination and/or discrimination. The idea is that multiple identities intersect to create a whole that is different from the component identities (UNWOMEN). Analytical tool for studying, understanding and responding to the ways in which sex and gender intersect with other personal characteristics/identities, and how these intersections contribute to unique experiences of discrimination (EIGE)

Intersex people are born with physical or biological sex characteristics, such as sexual anatomy, reproductive organs, hormonal patterns and/or chromosomal patterns, which do not fit the typical definitions of male or female. These characteristics may be apparent at birth or emerge later in life, often at puberty. Intersex people can have any sexual orientation and gender identity.

An intervention is any activity undertaken. Interventions can have different formats, such as individual activities, single projects or large-scale programmes.

Behaviour by an intimate partner that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including acts of physical aggression, sexual coercion, psychological abuse and controlling behaviours. This definition covers violence by both current and former spouses and other intimate partners. Other terms used to refer to this include domestic violence, wife or spouse abuse, wife/spouse battering. Dating violence is usually used to refer to intimate relationships among young people, which may be of varying duration and intensity, and do not involve cohabiting

Dynamics of how different resources that are generated within or which come into the household are accessed and controlled by its members.

Attitudes and the underlying traditional assumptions, norms and values that prevent women’s empowerment/full participation in society.

Which refers to a voluntary arrangement whereby two persons take joint responsibility for one full-time job.

Practice of judges ascribing to an individual specific attributes, characteristics or roles on the sole basis of her or his membership of a particular social group.

Is leave granted to take care of a sick child or for other family reasons.

Induced expulsion of the foetus during the first part of a pregnancy, permitted by the law for health or other reasons.

Assistance provided by the state to persons who do not have sufficient financial means to defend themselves in court (or to bring judicial proceedings).

According to the personal status law, it is the person who legally represents the minor or the quarantined one in court and represents him/her in all legal matters and financial transactions; it is usually the father. The legal tutor, supported by the religious laws, is responsible for guarding the person and his/her money. The concept of the guardian is the same in all sects: Christians consider it to be granted to the father, then to the mother after the father's death, provided that she doesn’t remarry (Article 184 of Catholic communities Law). For Sunnis, it’s granted to the father, then grandfather, brother, uncle (from father’s side) and then the relatives. For Shi’ites, it’s granted to the father, then to the grandfather and then to the person appointed by one of them. Penal Code punishes the legal tutor who commits a crime against the ward by dropping their authority, as the Code of Obligations and Contracts considers the guardian responsible for compensation of any damage caused by the guarded person.

Lesbian women are attracted to individuals of the same sex as themselves.

Irrational fear of, and aversion to, lesbians.

Umbrella term for all persons who have a non-normative gender or sexuality. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and/or questioning. Sometimes a + at the end is added to be more inclusive. A UNICEF position paper, “Eliminating Discrimination Against Children and Parents Based on Sexual Orientation and/or Sexual Identity (November 2014),” states all children, irrespective of their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity, have the right to a safe and healthy childhood that is free from discrimination.

Refers to the number of children ever born alive during the entire reproductive period of the woman.

Someone who lives without a partner, and who has daily caring responsibilities for a dependent child or children.

Biologically based references to the sex of a man.

An acronym that refers to someone who was assigned male sex at birth. It stands for Male-Assigned at Birth. This may also be expressed as Coercively Assigned Male at Birth (CAMAB).

Male human being; a person assigned a male sex at birth, or a person who defines himself as a man.