Statistical Terms Glossary

Online distribution of sexually graphic photographs or videos without the consent of the individual in the images.

Non-consensual sexting involves the sending of explicit messages or photos without the recipient’s consent.

Refers to death not deliberately inflicted on a person by another person. This includes the crime of manslaughter, but excludes traffic accidents that result in the death of persons.

Avoidance of both an ambiguous generic masculine gender in the grammatical forms of nouns and discriminatory expressions which describe women and men in terms of their physical appearance or the qualities and gender roles attributed to their sex.

Occupational segregation by sex occurs when women and men are concentrated in different types and at different levels of activity and employment. Worldwide, labour markets are segregated to a surprisingly large extent: some 60 per cent of non-agricultural workers in the world are in an occupation where at least 80 per cent of the workers are either women or men.

Occupational sex segregation refers to a situation in which women and men are concentrated in different types of jobs and at different levels of activity and employment, with women being confined to a narrower range of occupations (horizontal segregation) than men, and to the lower grades of work (vertical segregation).

The person or other party, who is subjected to the act of violence.

Taking advantage of the immediate circumstances or the availability of an opportunity to commit illegal sexual behavior, such as a teenager molesting a child while babysitting.

The systematic subjugation of a group of people by another group with access to social power, the result of which benefits one group over the other.

Commonly accepted values and behaviours within an organisation, such as the hours that are worked, the jokes that are considered appropriate and the manner in which colleagues are addressed.

Children who lost one or both natural parents.

Describes someone who has the potential for emotional, romantic or sexual attraction to people of any gender though not necessarily simultaneously, in the same way or to the same degree.

Parental leave is long-term leave available to parents to allow them to take care of an infant or young child a period of time. This is usually granted in addition to maternity/paternity leave.

Rights and obligations of parents concerning their children.

Concept and a goal that aims to acknowledge the equal value of women and men, rendering visible the equal dignity of women and men and establishing social organisations in which women and men actually share rights and responsibilities, are liberated from pre-determined spaces and functions engendered by prejudices and gender stereotyping, and fully enjoy equality and freedom in their participation at every level and in every sphere.

Full integration of women, on an equal footing with men, at all levels and in all areas of the workings of a democratic society, by means of multidisciplinary strategies.

Refers to equivalent percentages of males and females in an education system (relative to the population per age group). Parity is essential but not sufficient for achieving gender equality.

Achieving the goal of equal participation of women and men, a 50/50 participation rate is generally considered as the parity objective.

Legislative or deliberative assembly. One or more chambers that form (or form part of) the legislature of a country. The term may also be applied to multinational legislative bodies.

Inclusion of all segments of society, particularly the marginalized, in the process and benefits of development. The purpose is to improve self-reliance through increased accessibility to resources and opportunities in order to improve welfare and the standard of living.

Tool and a process based on a participatory methodology. It seeks to promote organisational learning at the individual, work unit and organisational levels on the subject of how to practically and effectively mainstream gender.

Is leave granted only to fathers for a limited period around the time of childbirth (not necessarily immediately after birth, but within a short period thereafter).

This term refers to a traditional form of organizing society which often lies at the root of gender inequality. According to this kind of social system, men, or what is considered masculine, is accorded more importance than women, or what is considered feminine. Traditionally, societies have been organized in such a way that property, residence, and descent, as well as decision-making regarding most areas of life, have been the domain of men. This is often based on appeals to biological reasoning (women are more naturally suited to be caregivers, for example) and continues to underlie many kinds of gender discrimination.

Gender pay gap refers to the difference in earnings of men and women: what women on average take out of employment in monetary terms relative to men. It is calculated as the difference between average earnings of men and women as a percentage of average earnings of men. Being an average, the gender pay gap can only provide an overall picture of gender inequality in total pay for employment. It does not say if women and men with the same (or similar) jobs receive different compensations. It does not explain in itself why wage differences between men and women exist. To understand the gender pay gap and to better inform policy-makers, it is necessary to disaggregate the gender pay gap according to various associated factors and possible causes, such as by level of education, occupation and seniority.

The word “peace” evokes complex, sometimes contradictory, interpretations and reactions. For some, peace means the absence of conflict. For others it means the end of violence or the formal cessation of hostilities; for still others, the return to resolving conflict by political means. Some define peace as the attainment of justice and social stability; for others it is economic well-being and basic freedom. Peacemaking can be a dynamic process of ending conflict through negotiation or mediation. Peace is often unstable, as sources of conflict are seldom completely resolved or eliminated. Since conflict is inherent in the human condition, the striving for peace is particularly strong in times of violent conflict. That said, a willingness to accommodate perpetrators of violence without resolving the sources of conflict—sometimes called “peace at any price”—may lead to greater conflict later.

Originally conceived in the context of post-conflict recovery efforts to promote reconciliation and reconstruction, the term peacebuilding has more recently taken on a broader meaning. It may include providing humanitarian relief, protecting human rights, ensuring security, establishing nonviolent modes of resolving conflicts, fostering reconciliation, providing trauma healing services, repatriating refugees and resettling internally displaced persons, supporting broad-based education, and aiding in economic reconstruction. As such, it also includes conflict prevention in the sense of preventing the recurrence of violence, as well as conflict management and post-conflict recovery. In a larger sense, peacebuilding involves a transformation toward more manageable, peaceful relationships and governance structures—the long-term process of addressing root causes and effects, reconciling differences, normalizing relations, and building institutions that can manage conflict without resorting to violence.

Series of steps or phases in a negotiation or mediation that are necessary in order to eventually reach a peace agreement and sometimes to implement one. These steps are not necessarily sequential or linear. They may include confidence-building measures, risk-reduction strategies, good offices, fact-finding or observer missions, conciliation and mediation efforts, and deployment of international forces.

Traditionally, action undertaken to preserve peace where fighting has been halted and to assist in implementing agreements achieved by the peacemakers. Typically authorized by the UN Security Council under Chapter 6 or 7 of the UN Charter, these operations usually include lightly armed military personnel and have the consent of the parties. The scope of peacekeeping activities has gradually broadened since the end of the Cold War to include civilian and humanitarian activities such as food distribution, electoral assistance, refugee return and reintegration, civilian protection and prevention of gender-based violence, restoration of transportation and other basic services, and establishing safe havens. In recent years, peacekeepers have been placed in areas where fighting is continuing, and their role is more to position themselves between hostile parties, a situation in which there is often a mismatch between their mandate and their capability.

Action undertaken to preserve peace, however fragile, where fighting has been halted and to assist in implementing agreements achieved by the peacemakers.

The ratio of deaths of children within one week of birth (early neonatal deaths) plus foetal deaths of minimum gestation period 28 weeks or minimum foetal weight of 1000g, expressed per 1,000 births.