Statistical Terms Glossary

Women who are relegated to an unimportant or powerless position within a society.

Different groups of people within a given culture, context and history at risk of being subjected to multiple discrimination due to the interplay of different personal characteristics or grounds, such as sex, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or belief, health status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, education or income, or living in various geographic localities.

Non-consensual vaginal, anal or oral penetration of the body of another person where the penetration is of a sexual nature, with any bodily part or with an object, as well as to any other non-consensual acts of a sexual nature, by a spouse or ex-spouse or by a former or current partner with whom a victim of rape is or has been living in a partnership recognised by the national law.

Migration within countries or across borders due to marriage.

Is the rank order (i.e. first, second, third, etc) of the legal marriage being contracted or of the legal marriage being dissolved.

These are dynamic socio-cultural categories used in everyday language that refer to certain behaviours and practices recognized within a culture as being “feminine” or “masculine,” regardless of which biological sex expresses them. These concepts are learned and do not describe sexual orientation or biological essence. They change with culture, religion, class, over time and with individuals and other factors. The values placed on femininities and masculinities vary with culture also. Any person may engage in forms of femininity and masculinity. As an example, a man can engage in what are often stereotyped as “feminine” activities, such as caring for a sick parent or staying home to raise children.

Masculinities are those behaviors, languages and practices, existing in specific cultural and organizational locations, which are commonly associated with males and thus culturally defined as not feminine (Whitehead & Barrett, 2001). It indicates qualities and characteristics that a male should have to be a "man".-Such generalizations are based on beliefs rather than observations or proofs. Masculine qualities and characteristics change from a place to another and by time, according to the age of the male, and thus there are many definitions of what a man is globally.

Refers to the inability for individuals or households to afford those consumption goods and activities that are typical in a society at a given point in time, irrespective of people’s preferences with respect to these items.

The death of a woman from any cause related to pregnancy that occurs during the pregnancy or within 42 days of the pregnancy’s termination. The termination of a pregnancy can be defined as giving birth (to a stillborn or live infant) or having a miscarriage or an abortion. Late maternal deaths include deaths from obstetric causes that occur after 42 days but within one year of pregnancy termination.

The annual number of deaths of women from pregnancy-related causes per 100,000 live births.

Is leave granted only to mothers for a limited period of time around the time of childbirth (although it is possible for the father to take the post-natal part of the leave in extreme circumstances, such as the mother’s death or illness).

A process where two or more parties appoint a third-party neutral (“Mediator”) to help them in a non-binding dialog to resolve a dispute and/or to conclude the terms of an agreement (Herrberg, A., 2008). The role of the mediator is to facilitate the communication between the different parties, help them to focus on the real problems behind the conflict, and generate options that will satisfy the needs and benefits of the parties in concern.

Safe and effective non-surgical method of terminating early pregnancy using certain medications taken orally or through injections.

The contingencies covered by the Medical Care and Sickness Benefits Convention, 1969 (No. 130) include: (a) need for medical care of a curative nature and, under prescribed conditions, need for medical care of a preventive nature; (b) incapacity for work resulting from sickness and involving suspension of earnings, as defined by national legislation.

This term refers to the need to better understand the male side of gender relations. It involves understanding the masculine values and norms that society places on men’s behaviour, identifying and addressing issues confronting men and boys in the world of work, and promoting the positive roles that men and boys can play in attaining gender equality.

Studies grounded in men’s movements and the common goal, shared with feminists, of creating a partnership in the gender framework of the 1970s and challenging accepted notions of masculinity and femininity.

Programming that helps girls and women manage their monthly periods safely and with dignity, focusing on the fact that menstruation is a normal biological process and an important facet of reproductive health. Improving girls’ and women’s access to knowledge about menstruation and to appropriate and hygienic sanitary facilities and materials in schools and homes. Programmes may include addressing cultural taboos, increasing access to affordable and hygienic sanitary materials, facilitating disposal options,access to safe and private toilets and provision of clean water and soap for personal hygiene. Some practitioners are calling for MHM to be a separate SDG and considered a human right.

A state of wellbeing in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.

Sheltered relationship that allows learning and experimentation to take place and personal potential and new skills to flourish through a process in which one person, the mentor, supports the career and development of another, the mentee, outside the normal superior–subordinate relationship.

General methodological approaches that facilitate the integration of a gender dimension into policies and programmes.

Non-nationals who have moved (or are endeavouring to move) to a country from another one − often but not necessarily the country of their nationality − and whose presence in the former may or may not be lawful or regular.

Groups of people with specific ethnic, cultural, linguistic and/or religious backgrounds that differ significantly from the bulk of the population. Such groups are often referred to as minority groups as they represent, in each case, a relatively small proportion of the total population.

Multiple discrimination that influences the risk of being subjected to multiple forms of violence.

Concept used to describe the complexity of discrimination implicating more than one ground, also known as “additive,” “accumulative,” “compound,” “intersectional,” “complex bias” or “multi-dimensional inequalities.” Though the terminology may seem confusing, it tends to describe two situations: (1) situation where an individual is faced with more than one form of grounds-based discrimination (i.e. sex plus disability discrimination, or gender plus sexual orientation). In such circumstances, all women and all persons with disabilities (both male and female) are potentially subject to the discrimination. (2) Situation where discrimination affects only those who are members of more than one group (i.e. only women with disabilities and not men with disabilities), also known as intersectional discrimination. Regarding discrimination against women, CEDAW General Recommendation no. 25 recognizes the following: “Certain groups of women, in addition to suffering from discrimination directed against them as women, may also suffer from multiple forms of discrimination based on additional grounds such as race, ethnic or religious identity, disability, age, class, caste or other factors. Such discrimination may affect these groups of women primarily, or to a different degree or in different ways than men. States parties may need to take specific temporary special measures to eliminate such multiple forms of discrimination against women and its compounded negative impact on them.”

Independent bodies established by domestic law with a mandate to protect and promote human rights within a state.

A national machinery for the advancement of women is the central policy-coordinating unit inside government. Its main task is to support the government-wide mainstreaming of a gender-equality perspective in all policy areas.

Service provided specifically to serve only, or predominantly, women victims of violence.

The refusal or failure to fulfill a caregiving obligation. This may be through intentional attempt to inflict physical or emotional distress on the other person.

The process of communication and bargaining between parties seeking to arrive at a mutually acceptable outcome on issues of shared concern. The process typically involves compromise and concessions and is designed to result in an agreement, although sometimes a party participates in negotiations for other reasons (to score propaganda points or to appease domestic political forces, for example). Pre-negotiation refers to preliminary talks to agree on such issues as the format, procedures, time frame, who will participate, and sometimes the scope of the formal talks. Endgame refers to the final stages of a negotiation, when substantive progress has been made but important details remain to be ironed out and the agreement hammered into final form.

Structure  of  membership  in  an  individual’s  network  as  individuals,  their  number,  age,  gender  and  type  of relationship. It is used to denote the network of communication between the different workers and activists in the field of gender-based violence.