Statistical Terms Glossary

Gender equality in the economy refers to the full and equal enjoyment by women and men of their economic rights and entitlements facilitated by enabling policy and institutional environments and economic empowerment. Economic empowerment is a cornerstone of gender equality that refers both to the ability to succeed and advance economically and to the power to make and act on economic decisions. Empowering women economically is a right that is essential for both realizing gender equality and achieving broader development goals such as economic growth, poverty reduction, and improvements in health, education and social well-being.

Women’s empowerment is the process by which women become aware of gender-based unequal power relationships and acquire a greater voice in which to speak out against the inequality found in the home, workplace, and community. It involves women taking control over their lives: setting their own agendas, gaining skills, solving problems, and developing self-reliance. Women’s empowerment perspective, within the ILO context, is to promote the equal position of women in the world of work, and to further that aim at one or more levels by: (a) Promoting capacity building of women to enable them to participate equally in all societal activities and decision-making at all levels; (b) Promoting equal access to and control over resources and the benefits of productive, reproductive, and community activities by affirmative action for women; (c) Working to achieve equality and safe and respectful working conditions; (d) Promoting and strengthening the capacity of women’s/ development organizations to act in favour of women’s empowerment and gender equality; (e) Promoting changes in the socio-economic conditions in society that often subordinate women to men such as laws, educational systems, political participation, violence against women and women’s human rights; (f) Making men aware of the significance of gender equality.

Career option for women of all ages, involving taking up and performing the specific activity of running an enterprise.

Women of all ages who engage in the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, and all people who engage in the defence of the rights of women and gender equality, either individually or in association with others.

This indicator refers to the proportion of females in the total number of persons employed in managerial positions. It is recommended to use two different measures jointly for this indicator: the share of females in (total) management and the share of females in senior and middle management (thus excluding junior management). The joint calculation of these two measures provides information on whether women are more represented in junior management than in senior and middle management, thus pointing to an eventual ceiling for women to access higher-level management positions. In these cases, calculating only the share of women in (total) management would be misleading, in that it would suggest that women hold positions with more decision-making power and responsibilities than they actually do.

The percentage of appointed women ministers as of 1 January of reporting year. Data show women as a share of total ministers, including deputy prime ministers and ministers. Prime ministers/heads of government were also included when they held ministerial portfolios. vice-presidents and heads of governmental or public agencies have not been included in the total.

Specialized service for women, providing safe accommodation and support for women who are victims of violence, and for their children.

Academic, usually interdisciplinary, approach to the analysis of women’s situation and gender relations, as well as to the gender dimension of all other disciplines.

Reproductive, productive and community managing role.

Women’s political participation refers to women’s ability to participate equally with men, at all levels, and in all aspects of political life and decision-making. Women’s participation and access to formal political power structures vary across countries. There is a steady upward trend in women’s political participation and representation in developed countries particularly in Nordic countries. Out of twelve countries where women representation in parliament is more than 33%, nine of them are ranked in the high human development category. However, the improvements in medium and low human development countries are not significant. The structural and functional constraints faced by women are shaped by social and political relations in a society. The common pattern of women’s political exclusion stem from (a) social and political discourses (b) political structures and institutions (c) the socio-cultural and functional constraints that put limits on women’s individual and collective agency.

Motherhood and the gender division of labour that places primary responsibility for maintaining the home and family on women are important determinants of gender inequality as well as inequality among women in the world of work. Conflict between family responsibilities and the demands of work contributes significantly to women’s disadvantage in the labour market and the sluggish progress towards equal opportunity and treatment for women and men in employment.
While women are forced, or choose, to accept poorly-paid, insecure, part-time, home-based, or informal work to combine their family responsibilities with their paid employment, difficulties in reconciling the demands of work and family contribute to men’s disadvantage in the family and limit their ability to be involved in family matters. Workplace schedules that do not take into account workers’ family responsibilities can constitute indirect discrimination in that they force such workers to “under-perform” in terms of participation in workplace activities and thus potentially damage their career development prospects. In particular, women’s career advancement may suffer when they take a “career break” longer than the statutory maternity leave for the purposes of family care or take up parental leave provisions immediately after maternity leave.