Statistical Terms Glossary

Specific tools used in the practice of violence, which leads to organ dysfunction or causing harm, with the purpose of discipline or retribution (Violence Policy Center, 2004). A gun is the weapon most commonly used in domestic homicides; other tools are such as a stick, a whip, a rope, a tube or an electric wire, in addition to the use of fire or some sharp or edged weapons. Other tools might also be used, such as hitting with shoes or household utensils, and that’s when the violence act is not previously planned.

Housework such as sweeping, cleaning utensils, washing clothes, cooking, caring of children and such other work which is carried out for an employer for remuneration. Comprise a significant part of the global workforce in informal employment and are among the most vulnerable groups of workers. They work for private households, often without clear terms of employment, unregistered in any book, and excluded from the scope of labour legislation.

Defining the content of formal and informal behavioural cultures, which means that the criteria or standards used to evaluate and regulate women often differ from those for men, benefiting the latter.

The antonym of mahr (bride price): All fixed and transportable, money or benefit, which the wife gives to her husband from her own funds or from her family. It’s given to the husband for the purpose of investment and not for his own use. This is only present in non-Islamic marriage and its profits or returns go to the family, and must be returned to the women after the termination of marriage. Thus, the wife is considered the owner of dowry.

Dowry death: Murder of a woman whose family failed to pay sufficient dowry at the time of marriage, prevalent in some countries of Asia.
Dowry killing: The homicide of women whose dowry, the payment in cash or/and in kind by the bride’s family to the bridegroom’s family along with the giving away of the bride in marriage, was not considered sufficient by her husband or in-laws.

Refers to intentional acts that may involve the cultivation, production, manufacture, extraction, preparation, offering for sale, distribution, purchase, sale, delivery on any terms whatsoever, brokerage, dispatch, dispatch in transit, transport, or importation and exportation of drugs and psychotropic substances. Where applicable, countries may wish to refer to the provisions of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961 and other regulations adopted in pursuance of the provisions of the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 and/or the United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances of 1988. As simple possession and illicit traffic are treated differently in different legal codes, separate statistics on possession and traffic are requested.

Complementarity between gender mainstreaming and specific gender equality policies and measures, including positive measures.

Principle of international law that mandates states to exercise due diligence in preventing and investigating violations of human rights, providing protection to victims, punishing perpetrators and compensating the victim for human rights violations.

Refers to the interval of time between the day, month and year of marriage to date. It is often expressed in completed years.

Those actors who have a particular obligation or responsibility to respect, promote and realize human rights and to abstain from human rights violations. The term is most commonly used to refer to State actors, but non-State actors can also be considered duty bearers. An obvious example is private armed forces or rebel groups, which under international law have a negative obligation to refrain from human rights violations. Depending on the context, individuals (i.e.,parents), local organizations, private companies, aid donors and international institutions can also be duty-bearers.

Marriage of individuals whose level of physical, emotional, sexual and psychosocial development makes them unable to freely and fully consent to marriage.

Involves making or attempting to make a person financially dependent by maintaining total control over financial resources, withholding access to money, and/or forbidding attendance at school or employment.

Right to work and earn one’s own income, distribution of paid and unpaid work between women and men.

Exploiting a position of power to dominate the economic interests of a partner.

Economic violence is said to occur when an individual denies his intimate partner access to financial resources, typically as a form of abuse or control or in order to isolate her or to impose other adverse consequences to her well-being.

The processes by which societies deliberately transmit their accumulated information, knowledge, understanding, attitudes, values, skills, competencies and behaviours across generations. It involves communication designed to bring about learning.

Process, strategy and myriad efforts by which women have been striving to liberate themselves from the authority and control of men and traditional power structures, as well as to secure equal rights for women, remove gender discrimination from laws, institutions and behavioural patterns, and set legal standards that shall promote their full equality with men.

Methods of contraception that can be used to prevent pregnancy in the first few days after intercourse.

Includes undermining a person's sense of self-worth through constant criticism; belittling one's abilities; name-calling or other verbal abuse; damaging a partner's relationship with the children; or not letting a partner see friends and family.

Any discrimination, exclusion or preference that weakens the implementation of equal opportunities or equal treatment in employment or profession.

Concerns women and girls gaining power and control over their own lives. It involves awareness-raising, building self-confidence, the expansion of choices and increased access to and control over resources and actions to transform the structures and institutions which reinforce and perpetuate gender discrimination and inequality. Statistics on the empowerment of women and girls should cover the following dimensions: (a) equal capabilities for women and men (such as education and health); (b) equal access to resources and opportunities for women and men (such as land, employment and credit); and (c) women’s agency to use these rights, capabilities, resources and opportunities to make strategic choices and decisions in all areas of life (such as political participation, decision-making in communities and intrahousehold decision making).

Refers to increasing the personal, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. Empowerment of women and girls concerns women and girls gaining power and control over their own lives. It involves awareness-raising, building self-confidence, expansion of choices, increased access to and control over resources and actions to transform the structures and institutions which reinforce and perpetuate gender discrimination and inequality.

Right of individuals and groups to obtain a quick, effective and fair response to protect their rights, prevent or solve disputes and control the abuse of power through a transparent and efficient process, in which mechanisms are available, affordable and accountable, and conducted on the basis of equality.

Concept implying that both women and men have equal access to, use of and benefit from all specific resources (material, financial, human, social, political, etc.).

Equal pay for work to which equal value is attributed without discrimination on grounds of sex or marital status with regard to all aspects of pay and conditions of remuneration.

The same remuneration for work which is ascribed the same value without any discrimination, including any discrimination on grounds of sex, applicable for all aspects of remuneration and payment conditions.

The goal of gender balance/equal representation of women and men applies throughout the United Nations system, and in every department, office or regional commission, overall and at each level. It applies not only to posts subject to geographical distribution but to all categories of posts, without regard to the type or duration of the appointment, or the series of Staff Rules under which the appointment is made, or the source of funding. Equal representation of women and men in the United Nations system is a longstanding mandate. Articles 8 and 10 of the UN Charter, for example, stipulate that there shall be no restrictions on the eligibility of men and women to participate under conditions of equality in its principal and subsidiary organs. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights also states that there can be no distinction or discrimination on the basis of gender. Acting on these principles, the General Assembly has repeatedly called for gender balance. Most recently, on 4 February 2009, the General Assembly asked the Secretary-General to “review and redouble his efforts to make progress towards achieving the goal of 50/50 gender balance at all levels in the Secretariat and throughout the United Nations system.”

Women and men equally sharing care tasks in the family as well as tasks relating to all aspects of household work.

A state of no direct or indirect discrimination based on sex and gender, including less favourable treatment of women for reasons of pregnancy and maternity.

Bodies mandated to promote, analyse, monitor and support equal treatment in the national context.