OPERATIONAL TOOLKITS

FOR GENDER EQUALITY

AND EMPOWERMENT OF
WOMEN AND GIRLS:

GENDER
GLOSSARY
This publication was prepared by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, Technical Deputy
Directorate.

Editorial coordination:
Marta Collu

Edited by:
Livia Canepa, Marta Collu

Acknowledgments:
We thank the Deputy Technical Director Leonardo Carmenati for supporting the drafting of the text and all
the Offices of the Deputy Technical Directorate and the Agency-s field Offices for sending suggestions and
/ or editorial contributions, and in particular Gabriella Cerretti, Alessandra Credazzi Salvi, Maria Pia Dradi,
Francesca Fiorino, Letizia Fischioni, Faben Getachew, Aurora Leo, Grazia Marcianesi, Stefano Marmorato,
Costanza Matafu, Pietro Pipi, Eugenia Pisani, Silvia Fuligni, Anna Romboli, Giuliana Serra, Paolo Sertoli, Silvia
Traina.
We also thank the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, specifically Fabrizio Petri, Beatrice
Vecchioni and Vittoria Colombini, for their collaboration.

Year of publication: 2022

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AGENCY 6

SUMMARY
ASSESSMENT OF THE STRATEGIC IMPACT OF EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES (VISPO) 6

AUTONOMY 6

BACKLASH AGAINST GENDER EQUALITY 6

CARE ECONOMY 6

CHILD/EARLY AND FORCED MARRIAGE 7

CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE 7

DECENT WORK 7

DIRECT DISCRIMINATION 7

DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS 8

DIVERSITY 8

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE 8

DOMESTIC WORK 8

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND MEN 8

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/ CUTTING (FGM/C) 9

FEMINICIDE / FEMICIDE 9

FEMININITIES 10

FEMINISATION OF POVERTY 10

FEMINISM 10

GENDER 10

GENDER (OR SEXUAL) DIVISION OF LABOR 10

GENDER ACTION PLAN (UE) - GAP III 11

GAP III - Gender Country Profile 11

GAP III - Sector Gender Analysis 11

GENDER ANALYSIS 11

GENDER AUDIT 12

GENDER BLINDNESS 12

GENDER BUDGETING 12

GENDER DIVERSITY 12

GENDER EDUCATION 12

GENDER EQUALITY 13

GENDER EQUALITY CONTINUUM 13

GENDER FOCAL POINT 13

GENDER GAP 13

GENDER IDENTITY 13

GENDER IMPACT ASSESSMENT 14

GENDER INDICATORS 14

GENDER MAINSTREAMING 14

GENDER NEGATIVE APPROACH 14

GENDER NEUTRAL APPROACH 14

GENDER NORMS 15

GENDER PAY GAP 15

GENDER PERSPECTIVE 15

GENDER POSITIVE APPROACH 15

GENDER QUOTAS 15

GENDER RELATIONS 15

GENDER ROLES 16

GENDER SEGREGATION (HORIZONTAL& VERTICAL) 16

GENDER SENSITIVE APPROACH 16

GENDER STATISTICS 16

GENDER STEREOTYPES 16

GENDER SYSTEM 17

GENDER-BALANCED PARTICIPATION 17

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) 17

GENDER-DISAGGREGATED DATA 17

GENDER PARITY 18

GENDER-RESPONSIVE APPROACH 18

GENDER-RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP 18

GENDER-TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH 18

GLASS CEILING 18

HETERONORMATIVITY 18

HONOUR CRIMES 19

HUMAN RIGHTS 19

HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH (HRBA) 19

INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION 19

INTERSECTIONAL DISCRIMINATION 19

INTERSECTIONALITY 20

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EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS:
GENDER GLOSSARY

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE 20

LGBTIQ+ 20

MASCULINITY 20

SUMMARY
MULTIPLE DISCRIMINATION 21

PATRIARCHY 21

POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION/ACTION/MEASURE 21

SEX 21

SEX-DISAGGREGATED DATA 21

SEXUAL ABUSE 21

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS 22

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION 22

SEXUAL HARASSMENT 22

SEXUAL ORIENTATION 22

SEXUAL VIOLENCE 22

SEXUALITY EDUCATION 23

THEORY OF CHANGE FOR GENDER EQUALITY 23

UNPAID CARE WORK 23

VICTIM BLAMING 23

WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY 24

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT 24

WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS (WHRDS) 24

BIBLIOGRAPHY / SITOGRAPHY: 25

5
AGENCY
The concept of agency involves the capacity to act and choose independently and to be agents of change and
self-determination; it implies the freedom of women and girls to independently acquire power and capacity.
(Source: CICS, Linee Guida sull’Uguaglianza di Genere e l’Empowerment di Donne, Ragazze e Bambine (2020- 2024)”, 2021)

ASSESSMENT OF THE STRATEGIC IMPACT OF EQUAL

OPPORTUNITIES (VISPO)
The VISPO model - Assessment of the Strategic Impact of Equal Opportunities - was developed by the Department
for Equal Opportunities of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, on the basis of European guidelines, to
assist in the evaluation of regional and provincial Operational Programs.
The aims of VISPO are to:
- Create context analysis and an assessment of scenarios aimed at an effective reading of one’s own territory
from a gender perspective;
- Identify and define equal opportunities criteria for the selection of projects, which are valid for different types
of actions to be financed, that make it possible to assign a preference and to identify those most representative;
- Identify indicators for output and result that allow for ongoing evaluation focusing on equal opportunities.
(Source: EIGE)

AUTONOMY
The concept of autonomy refers to people’s capacity to make free and informed decisions about their lives,
enabling them to be and act in accordance with their own aspirations and desires, given a historical context
that makes those possible. Women’s autonomy is often conceptualized as having three dimensions:
- Physical autonomy (the freedom to make decisions regarding sexuality, reproduction and the right to live a
life free from violence);
- Economic autonomy (right to work and earn one’s own income, distribution of paid and unpaid work between
women and men);
- Autonomy in decision-making (women’s participation in all branches of government).
(Source: UNWOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary)

BACKLASH AGAINST GENDER EQUALITY

A backlash can be defined as resistance to progressive social change, regression on acquired rights or
maintenance of a non-egalitarian status quo. The backlash against gender equality and women’s rights is a
combination of hostile, aggressive and intimidating behaviours aiming to discredit, query and pushback gender
equality gains. It can be exercised regardless of one’s social background or age, can be of both a formal or
informal nature, and can involve passive or active strategies to counter further progress by trying to change
laws or policies which would ultimately limit citizens’ acquired rights. The backlash can be accompanied by the
dissemination of fake news and harmful stereotypical beliefs.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

CARE ECONOMY
Part of human activity, both material and social, that is concerned with the process of caring for the present and
future labour force, and the human population as a whole, including the domestic provisioning of food, clothing
and shelter. Care work is to be found in a variety of settings and across formal and informal economies. Some
care is provided by the health and social services sector, most of which is formal and public. Public services for

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EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS:
GENDER GLOSSARY

childcare, early childhood education, disability and long-term care, and elder care are other areas of the care
economy. Health, education and social services overlap with other forms of paid and unpaid care. Around the
world women spend two to ten times more time on unpaid care work – reproductive work – than men (OECD
2014).
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

CHILD/EARLY AND FORCED MARRIAGE

Child marriage is a legal or customary union between two people where at least one of the parties is below
the age of 18.
A child marriage is interpreted by the CEDAW (Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women)
and CRC (Committee on the Rights of the Child ) as a form of forced marriage, since children – given their age
– inherently lack the ability to give their full, free and informed consent to their marriage or its timing.
Forced marriage is a form of violence against women that entails serious violations of fundamental rights,
and in particular of women’s and girls’ rights to physical integrity, physical and mental health, sexual and
reproductive health, education, private life, freedom and autonomy. Men and boys who are victims of forced
marriage face many similar violations of their rights. Neither culture, custom, religion, tradition nor so-called
“honour” can justify such violations. The defining characteristic of forced marriage is the lack of consent of at
least one of the two parties. A marriage in which (at least) one of the parties is not free to put an end to the
marriage or to leave his or her spouse is also a forced marriage.

GE NDER GLOSSARY
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

CONFLICT-RELATED SEXUAL VIOLENCE

Rape, sexual slavery, forced prostitution, forced pregnancy, forced abortion, enforced sterilization, forced
marriage, trafficking in persons when committed in situations of conflict for the purpose of sexual violence/
exploitation and any other form of sexual violence of comparable gravity perpetrated against women, men, girls
or boys that is directly or indirectly linked to a conflict.
(Source: EIGE)

DECENT WORK
Decent work is productive work for women and men in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human
dignity. In general, work is considered as decent when:
• it pays a fair income;
• it guarantees a secure form of employment and safe working conditions;
• it ensures equal opportunities and treatment for all;
• it includes social protection for the workers and their families;
• it offers prospects for personal development and encourages social integration;
• workers are free to express their concerns and to organise.

Decent work is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 8, among others.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

DIRECT DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination where one person is treated less favourably on grounds such as sex and gender, age, nationality,
race, ethnicity, religion or belief, health, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity, than another person is,
has been or would be treated in a comparable situation.
(Source: EIGE)

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DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS
Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex and gender that has the effect or purpose of
impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, and
on a basis of equality between women and men, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field.
Discrimination can stem from both law (de jure discrimination) or from practice (de facto discrimination). The
CEDAW Convention recognises and addresses both forms of discrimination, whether contained in laws, policies,
procedures or practice.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE;“Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women” CEDAW, art. 1, United
Nations, 1979)

DIVERSITY
Differences in the values, attitudes, cultural perspective, beliefs, ethnic background, sexual orientation, gender
identity, skills, knowledge and life experiences of each individual in any group of people.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
All acts of physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence that occur within the family or domestic unit,
irrespective of biological or legal family ties, or between former or current spouses or partners, whether or not
the perpetrator shares or has shared the same residence as the victim.
(Source: EIGE)

DOMESTIC WORK
Unremunerated work of maintaining a household that is performed by household members (synonym
“housework”)
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN AND MEN

Absence of barriers to economic, political and social participation on grounds of sex and gender. Such
barriers are often indirect, difficult to discern and caused and maintained by structural phenomena and social
representations that have proved particularly resistant to change. Equal opportunities as one of a set of gender
equality objectives is founded on the rationale that a whole range of strategies, actions and measures are
necessary to redress deep-rooted and persistent inequalities.
(Source: EIGE)

EQUAL TREATMENT OF WOMEN AND MEN

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.
(Source: EIGE)

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EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS:
GENDER GLOSSARY

FEMALE GENITAL MUTILATION/ CUTTING (FGM/C)T

Female genital mutilation (FGM) comprises al procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external
female genitalia, or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.
Female genital mutilation is classified into 4 major types:

TYPE 1

this is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans (the external and visible part of the clitoris), and/
or the prepuce/ clitoral hood (the fold of skin surrounding the clitoral glans).

TYPE 2

this is the partial or total removal of the clitoral glans and the labia minora (the inner folds of the
vulva), with or without removal of the labia majora (the outer folds of skin of the vulva).

TYPE 3

Also known as infibulation, this is the narrowing of the vaginal opening through the creation of a
covering seal. The seal is formed by cutting and repositioning the labia minora, or labia majora,
sometimes through stitching, with or without removal of the clitoral prepuce/clitoral hood and glans.
TYPE 4

GE NDER GLOSSARY
This includes all other harmful procedures to the female genitalia for non-medical purposes, e.g.
pricking, piercing, incising, scraping and cauterizing the genital area.

Female genital mutilation is internationally recognized as a violation of the human rights of girls and women.The
practice reflects deep-rooted inequality between the sexes, and constitutes an extreme form of discrimination
against women. Female genital mutilation is nearly always carried out on minors and is therefore a violation
of the rights of the child. The practice also violates the rights to health, security and physical integrity of the
person, the right to be free from torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and the right to life when
the procedure results in death.
The Istanbul Convention (art.38) provides that the following intentional acts are punished as crimes:

• Excising, infibulating or performing any other mutilation to the whole or any part of a woman’s labia
majora, labia minora or clitoris;
• Coercing or procuring a woman to undergo any of the acts listed in point a;
• Inciting, coercing or procuring a girl to undergo any of the acts listed in point a.

(Source: EIGE; Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, Istanbul – 2011; WHO
(2008). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement – UNAIDS, UNDP, UNECA, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCHR,
UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, WHO)

FEMINICIDE / FEMICIDE
Feminicide is generally understood to involve the intentional murder of women / girls because they are women.
Broader definitions of feminicide include any killings of women or girls. Feminicide is usually perpetrated by
men, but sometimes female family members maybe involved. Feminicide differs from male homicide in specific
ways. For example, most cases of feminicide are committed by partners or ex-partners, and involve ongoing
abuse in the home, threats or intimidation, sexual violence or situations where women have less power or fewer
resources than their partner.
Intimate partner is understood as a former or current spouse or partner, whether or not the perpetrator shares
or has shared the same residence with the victim.
(Source: GAPIII Glossary/EIGE; WHO)

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FEMININITIES
Different notions of what it means to be a woman, including patterns of conduct linked to a women’s assumed
place in a given set of gender roles and relations.
(Source: EIGE)

FEMINISATION OF POVERTY
A series of phenomena within poverty affect men and women differently, resulting in poor women outnumbering
poor men, women suffering more severe poverty than men, and female poverty displaying a more marked
tendency to increase, largely because of the rise in the number of female-headed households.
(Source: UNWOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

FEMINISM
Political stance and commitment to change the political position of women and promote gender equality,
based on the thesis that women are subjugated because of their gendered body, i.e. sex.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER
Social attributes and opportunities associated with being a woman and a man and to the relationships between
women and men and girls and boys, as well as to the relations between women and those between men, in a
specific society and historical moment.
These attributes, opportunities and relationships are socially constructed, are learned through socialisation
processes, and institutionalised through education systems, political and economic systems, legislation, culture
and tradition. They are not fixed. They are context- and time-specific, and changeable. Gender determines what
is expected, allowed and valued in a woman or a man in a given context. In most societies, there are differences
and inequalities between women and men in substantive enjoyment of rights, such as freedom to act and be
recognised as autonomous individuals, in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access to and control
over resources, and decision-making opportunities. Gender is part of the broader sociocultural context. Other
important criteria for sociocultural analysis include class, race, caste, ethnicity, income level, age, disability
status and migration status.
Not all individuals identify with a binary concept of sex or gender categories of male and female (non-binary.
Gender and sex are related, but different from, gender identity. Gender identity refers to a person’s deeply felt,
internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or
designated sex at birth.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE; UNWOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary; WHO)

GENDER (OR SEXUAL) DIVISION OF LABOR

The division of labour refers to the way each society divides work among men and women, boys and girls,
according to socially-established gender roles or what is considered suitable and valuable for each sex.
(Source: UNWOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

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EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS:
GENDER GLOSSARY

GENDER ACTION PLAN (UE) - GAP III

The Gender Action Plan (GAP) III 2021-2025 is the new action plan adopted with conclusions of the Presidency
of the Council of the EU in 2021 in order to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment through all
external action of the European Union.The GAP III aims to accelerate progress on empowering women and girls,
and safeguard gains made on gender equality during the 25 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

GAP III - GENDER COUNTRY PROFILE

A ‘Gender Country Profile’ (GCP) is the result of a comprehensive analysis of a country, from a
gender perspective. It covers policy and legislative frameworks, status of government ratification and
implementation of international, regional and national commitments, and other equality measures
and actions, and gender data (gender-specific and sex-disaggregated data and information) on
violence, education, health, employment, political participation, obstacles to gender equality, and
specific issues related to discriminatory social norms and attitudes, and harmful practices. It analyses
the differences between different groups of women and men, in all their diversity, in their assigned
gender roles, their socio-economic position, needs and interests, economic participation, access to
and control over resources, decision-making power, legal status and individual freedoms, and human
rights conditions.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

GE NDER GLOSSARY
GAP III - SECTOR GENDER ANALYSIS
A ‘Sector Gender Analysis’ (SGA) is required by GAP III for all selected priority areas/sectors1 under the
programming cycle 2021-2027. The SGA provides the necessary data and information to integrate a
gender perspective into programming processes, policies, strategies, dialogues and actions. The SGA
analyses the importance of the sector in the economy and social fabric of the country or region, the
institutional and legal framework that regulates the sector, the gender issues in the sector, how the
sector implements national gender equality and anti-discrimination policies, and how it responds
currently to the different gender needs and interests of women and men (and girls and boys, as
appropriate), in all their diversity, as citizens, clients, consumers, workers and managers, suppliers.
It explores and documents gender gaps and barriers in policy and practice, and the impact of
discriminatory social norms and attitudes for employment, work force segregation, and leadership
in the sector. It assesses who benefits from the service or provision and why. And, importantly, it
identifies what opportunities exist in the sector to promote gender-sensitive, gender-responsive and
gender-transformative outcomes, good or promising practices, and entry points and opportunities for
EU cooperation to promote gender equality using all instruments and investment frameworks and
policy dialogue.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

GENDER ANALYSIS
Critical examination of how differences in gender roles, activities, needs, opportunities and rights/entitlements
affect women, men, girls and boys in a given policy area, situation or context. Gender analysis examines the
relationships between women and men and the constraints they face relative to each other in achieving
gender equality in a given policy area, situation or context. Gender analysis may be conducted on the basis of
qualitative information and methods and/or based on quantitative information provided by gender statistics.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

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GENDER AUDIT
Assessment of the extent to which gender equality is effectively institutionalised in policies, programmes,
organisational structures and proceedings (including decision making processes), and in the corresponding
budgets.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

GENDER BLINDNESS
Failure to recognise that the roles and responsibilities of women/girls and men/boys are ascribed to, or imposed
upon, them in specific social, cultural, economic and political contexts. Gender-blind projects, programmes,
policies and attitudes do not take into account these different roles and diverse needs. They therefore maintain
status quo and will not help transform the unequal structure of gender relations.
(Source: EIGE; UNWOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER BUDGETING
The term gender budget refers to a budget document that analyses and evaluates the political choices and
economic-financial commitments of an administration from a gender perspective.
Gender budgeting has a close relationship with social audits, sharing with it structure, purposes and recipients:
like the social audit, the gender budget has the purpose of assessing the management of resources and the
effectiveness and efficiency of actions and expenses made. The gender budget can therefore be seen as a
complementary document to the social audit, which by pursuing its specific mission (the promotion of effective
and real equality between women and men) integrates such audit with the analysis of the gender variable.
The experiences gained at international level, in the context of different social, cultural and political contexts,
highlight among the fundamental objectives of gender budgeting:
• Raise awareness of the impact that public policies can have on gender inequalities;
• Ensure greater effectiveness of interventions, through a clear definition of gender objectives to be taken
into consideration also in identifying the implementation methods;
• Promote greater transparency of the public administration, activating mechanisms aimed at highlighting
potentially discriminatory practices.
(Source: Department of Public Administration; Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance - State General Accounting Office; EIGE)

GENDER DIVERSITY
Gender diversity is a term that recognizes that many peoples’ preferences and self-expression fall outside
commonly understood gender norms.
(Source: UN WOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER EDUCATION
Necessary part of curricula at all levels of the education system, which would enable both girls and boys,
women and men to understand how constructions of masculinities and femininities and models for assigning
social roles – which shape our societies – influence their lives, relationships, life choices, career trajectories, etc.
(Source: EIGE)

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EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS:
GENDER GLOSSARY

GENDER EQUALITY
Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights,
responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born female or male. Gender equality
implies that the interests, needs and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration, thereby
recognising the diversity of different groups of women and men. Gender equality is not a women’s issue but
should concern and fully engage men as well as women. Equality between women and men is seen both as a
human rights issue and as a precondition for, and indicator of, sustainable people-centred development.
(Source: EIGE; UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER EQUALITY CONTINUUM

The gender equality continuum is a way of representing gender equality on a line of continuity, which starts from
the most negative approach to the one considered most positive, up to the transformative one.The continuum is
a helpful tool for thinking about transformative change and for identifying what type of impact a development
intervention may have.
The continuum categorises gender equality objectives and impacts on a scale (of approaches):

• “Negative” or “exploitative” approach: to the gender issue: it causes harm, implies a risk.
• ”Blind”, “neutral” or “accommodating” approach: ignores and works around existing gender inequalities,

GE NDER GLOSSARY
without seeking to reduce gender inequality or address gender systems that contribute to differences and
inequalities.
• “Sensitive” or “aware” approach: considers gender inequalities.
• “Responsive” or “positive” approach: strengthens gender equality.
• “Transformative” approach: changes gender norms and power relations.
(Source: UN WOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary; OECD Guidance “Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in
development co-operation)

GENDER FOCAL POINT

Gender focal points are change agents whose overriding role is one of advocating for increased attention to and
integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment in his or her agency’s policy and programming and
in the related work of development partners. Basic functions may include: coordinating the organization/office/
program gender mainstreaming strategy; contributing gender information and technical support for inclusion
of gender issues; supporting capacity development on gender equality within the organization; knowledge
management; and coordination on interagency initiatives, among others.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER GAP
Gap in any area between women and men in terms of their levels of participation, access, rights, remuneration
or benefits.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER IDENTITY
Gender identity refers to a person’s innate, deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may
or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth. It includes both the personal sense
of the body, which may involve, if freely chosen, modification of bodily appearance or function by medical,

13
 surgical, or other means, and other expressions of gender, including dress, speech, and mannerisms.
Cisgender is the term used to describe someone whose internal sense of gender corresponds with the sex the
person had or was identified as having at birth.
Transgender is an umbrella term for persons whose gender identity, gender expression or behaviour does not
conform to that typically associated with the sex to which they were assigned at birth.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary; UNAIDS Terminology Guidelines; HRC Glossary of Terms)

GENDER IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Policy tool for the screening of a given policy proposal, in order to detect and assess its differential impact or
effects on women and men, so that these imbalances can be redressed before the proposal is endorsed.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER INDICATORS
Tools for monitoring gender differences, gender-related changes over time and progress towards gender
equality goals.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER MAINSTREAMING
Gender mainstreaming ensures that policies and programmes maximise the potential of all – women and men,
girls and boys, in all their diversity.The aim is to redistribute power, influence and resources in a fair and gender-
equal way, tackling inequality, promoting fairness, and creating opportunity.
It is an approach that ensures that the differences between the conditions, situations, strategic interests and
practical needs of women and men, in all their diversity, are integral to the planning, identification, design,
implementation, monitoring and evaluation of all policies and programmes in all political, economic and
societal spheres. Gender mainstreaming facilitates the transformation of relations, institutions and systems
so that inequality and gender-based discrimination are not reinforced or perpetuated. The ultimate goal is to
achieve gender equality.
Gender mainstreaming is a complementary strategy and not a substitute for gender targeted, women-centred
policies and programmes, gender equality legislation, institutional mechanisms for gender equality, and
specific interventions that aim to close the gender gap. Mainstreaming can reveal the need for changes in
goals, strategies and actions to ensure that both women and men, in all their diversity, can influence, participate
in and benefit equally from development processes. It requires changes in the culture and ways of working of
institutions to create environments which are conducive to the promotion of gender equality.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

GENDER NEGATIVE APPROACH

Gender inequalities are reinforced to achieve desired development outcomes. Uses gender norms, roles and
stereotypes that reinforce gender inequalities.
(Source: UNWOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER NEUTRAL APPROACH

Gender is not considered relevant to development outcome. Gender norms, roles and relations are not affected
(worsened or improved).
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

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EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS:
GENDER GLOSSARY

GENDER NORMS
Gender norms are ideas about how men and women should be and act. They are the standards and
expectations to which gender identity generally conforms, within a range that defines a particular society,
culture and community at that point in time. Internalized early in life, gender norms can establish a life cycle of
gender socialization and stereotyping.
(Source: UNICEF)

GENDER PAY GAP

Percentage of men’s earnings and represents the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of
female and male employees. The pay gap is linked to a variety of cultural, legal, social and economic factors
that go far beyond the mere issue of equal pay for equal work.
(Source: EIGE; Istat)

GENDER PERSPECTIVE
Perspective taking into account gender-based differences when looking at any social phenomenon, policy or
process.

GE NDER GLOSSARY
The gender perspective focuses particularly on gender-based differences in status and power, and considers
how such discrimination shapes the immediate needs, as well as the long-term interests, of women and men.
In a policy context, taking a gender perspective is a strategy for making women’s as well as men’s concerns
and experiences an integral dimension of the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies
and programmes in all political, economic and societal spheres, so that women and men benefit equally and
inequality is not perpetuated.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER POSITIVE APPROACH

Gender is central to achieving positive development outcomes. Changing gender norms, roles and access to
resources a key component of project outcomes.
Gender positive approache is often considered synonymous with the gender responsive approach.
(Source: UNWOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER QUOTAS
Positive measurement instrument aimed at accelerating the achievement of gender-balanced participation
and representation by establishing a defined proportion (percentage) or number of places or seats to be filled
by, or allocated to, women and/or men, generally under certain rules or criteria. Quotas can be applied in
order to correct a previous gender imbalance, including decision-making positions or equal access to training
opportunities or jobs.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER RELATIONS
Gender relations are the specific sub-set of social relations uniting men and women as social groups in a
particular community, including how power and access to and control over resources are distributed between
the sexes. Gender relations intersect with all other influences on social relations – age, ethnicity, race, religion –

15
 to determine the position and identity of people in a social group. Since gender relations are a social construct,
they can be transformed over time to become more equitable.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER ROLES
Gender roles refer to social and behavioral norms that, within a specific culture, are widely considered to be
socially appropriate for individuals of a specific sex. These often determine the traditional responsibilities and
tasks assigned to men, women, boys and girls (see gender division of labor). Gender-specific roles are often
conditioned by household structure, access to resources, specific impacts of the global economy, occurrence
of conflict or disaster, and other locally relevant factors such as ecological conditions. Like gender itself,
gender roles can evolve over time, in particular through the empowerment of women and transformation of
masculinities.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER SEGREGATION (HORIZONTAL& VERTICAL)

Differences in patterns of representation of women and men in the labour market, public and political life, unpaid
domestic work and caring, and in young women’s and men’s choice of education. Due to the occupational
segregation of the labour market, women often find themselves confined to a narrower range of occupations
than men (horizontal segregation) and lower levels of responsibility (vertical segregation).
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER SENSITIVE APPROACH

Aim of understanding and taking account of the societal and cultural factors involved in gender-based exclusion
and discrimination in the most diverse spheres of public and private life.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

GENDER STATISTICS
Gender statistics adequately reflect differences and inequalities in the situation of women and men in all areas
of life. Gender statistics are defined by the sum of the following characteristics: (a) data are collected and
presented disaggregated by sex as a primary and overall classification, (b) data are reflecting gender issues,
(c) data are based on concepts and definitions that adequately reflect the diversity of women and men and
capture all aspects of their lives, and (d) data collection methods take into account stereotypes and social and
cultural factors that may induce gender biases.
Gender statistics allow monitoring progress towards gender equality and the SDGs by using gender indicators
that provide actual figures and baseline data for future comparisons and help guide programme and policy
development.
(Source: GAPIII Glossary/EIGE)

GENDER STEREOTYPES
Preconceived ideas whereby females and males are arbitrarily assigned characteristics and roles determined
and limited by their gender. Gender stereotyping can limit the development of the natural talents and abilities of
girls and boys, women and men, as well as their educational and professional experiences and life opportunities
in general. Stereotypes about women both result from, and are the cause of, deeply engrained attitudes, values,
norms and prejudices against women. They are used to justify and maintain the historical relations of power of

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GENDER GLOSSARY

men over women as well as sexist attitudes that hold back the advancement of women.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER SYSTEM
System of economic, social, cultural and political structures that sustain and reproduce distinctive gender roles
and the attributes of women and men.
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER-BALANCED PARTICIPATION
Representation of either women or men in any decision-making body in public and political life not falling
below 40 % as a parity threshold, at different levels, which constitutes an important condition for equality
between men and women (recommendation of the European Council 96/694/EC of 02/12/96, OJ L 319).
(Source: EIGE)

GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV)

GE NDER GLOSSARY
Violence directed against a person because of that person’s gender, gender identity or gender expression, or
which affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately.
Violence that is directed against a person because of that person’s gender, gender identity or gender expression
or that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately, is understood as gender-based violence. It may
result in physical, sexual, emotional or psychological harm, or economic loss, to the victim. Gender-based
violence is understood to be a form of discrimination and a violation of the fundamental freedoms of the victim
and includes violence in close relationships, sexual violence (including rape, sexual assault and harassment),
trafficking in human beings, slavery, and different forms of harmful practices, such as forced marriages, female
genital mutilation and so-called ‘honour crimes’. Women victims of gender-based violence and their children
often require special support and protection because of the high risk of secondary and repeat victimisation, of
intimidation and of retaliation connected with such violence.
Where violence is committed in a close relationship, it is committed by a person who is a current or former
spouse, or partner or other family member of the victim, whether or not the offender shares or has shared the
same household with the victim. Such violence could cover physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence
and could result in physical, mental or emotional harm or economic loss. Violence in close relationships is a
serious and often hidden social problem which could cause systematic psychological and physical trauma
with severe consequences because the offender is a person whom the victim should be able to trust. Victims of
violence in close relationships may therefore be in need of special protection measures. Women are affected
disproportionately by this type of violence and the situation can be worse if the woman is dependent on the
offender economically, socially or as regards her right to residence.
The term ‘gender-based violence’ is also used by some actors to describe violence perpetrated against lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) persons.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE; Inter-Agency Standing Committee, Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence in
Humanitarian Action, 2015)

GENDER-DISAGGREGATED DATA
Gender disaggregated data is numerical or non numerical information collected through multiple sources and
based on multiple variables and measures. It is broken down by specific categories that reflect individual and
societal gender, intersecting factors, and context specific dimensions, for example, sex, age, gender, ethnicity,
religion, marital status, socio economic situation, geographical
location, managerial level, access to decision making or services, etc.

17
 Gender disaggregated data include (but must not be confused with) sex disaggregated data (see entry Sex
disaggregated data).
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

GENDER PARITY
Gender parity is another term for equal representation of women and men in a given area, for example, gender
parity in organizational leadership or higher education. Working toward gender parity (equal representation) is
a key part of achieving gender equality, and one of the twin strategies, alongside gender mainstreaming.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

GENDER-RESPONSIVE APPROACH
An approach aiming to increase accountability and accelerate implementation of commitments to gender
equality with a rights-based approach at international, national and community level.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

GENDER-RESPONSIVE LEADERSHIP
The gender-responsive leader: (i) leads by example both in the workplace and when directing implementation
of the mandate; (ii) mainstreams gender equality; (iii)motivates and enable staff to deliver on gender equality;
(iv) consults and strategically involves gender advisers, gender focal points and other gender equality experts
and (v) holds staff and mission to account for implementing gender equality commitments.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

GENDER-TRANSFORMATIVE APPROACH
An approach is gender-transformative when it aims to shift gender-power relations for a positive change of the
societal and cultural paradigm(s) that produce discrimination and inequalities in a given context.
Gender is central to promoting gender equality and achieving positive development outcomes. Transforming
unequal gender relations to promote shared power, control of resources, decision-making, and support for
women’s empowerment.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE; UNWOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary)

GLASS CEILING
The term “glass ceiling” is a metaphor that has often been used to describe invisible barriers (“glass”) through
which women can see elite positions, for example in government or the private sector, but cannot reach
them (coming up against the invisible “ceiling”). These barriers prevent large numbers of women and ethnic
minorities from obtaining and securing the most powerful, prestigious, and highest-paying jobs in the workforce.
(Source: EIGE; UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

HETERONORMATIVITY
Heteronormativity is an expressed used to describe or identify a social norm relating to standardized heterosexual
behaviour, whereby this standard is considered to be the only socially valid form of behaviour and anyone who
does not follow this social and cultural posture is placed at a disadvantage in relation to the rest of society. This
concept is the basis of discriminatory and prejudiced arguments against LGBT, principally those relating to the

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GENDER GLOSSARY

formation of families and public expression.

(Source: UNWOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

HONOUR CRIMES
Acts of violence that are disproportionately, though not exclusively, committed against girls and women,
because family members consider that certain suspected, perceived or actual behaviour will bring dishonour
to the family or community.
(Source: EIGE)

HUMAN RIGHTS
Human rights are commonly understood as being those rights which are inherent to the human being. The
concept of human rights acknowledges that every single human being is entitled to enjoy his or her human
rights without distinction as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status. Human rights are legally guaranteed by human rights law, protecting
individuals and groups against actions which interfere with fundamental freedoms and human dignity. They are
expressed in treaties, customary international law, bodies of principles and other sources of law. Human rights
law places an obligation on States to act in a particular way and prohibits States from engaging in specified
activities.

GE NDER GLOSSARY
All human rights and instruments that concern them apply equally to men and women. In addition, the CEDAW
has specified and complemented some of them from the perspective of women’s rights.
(Source: UN WOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary; OHCHR)

HUMAN RIGHTS-BASED APPROACH (HRBA)

A human rights-based approach entails consciously and systematically paying attention to human rights in all
aspects of program development. The objective of the HRBA is to empower people (rights-holders) to realize
their rights and strengthen the State (duty-bearers) to comply with their human rights obligations and duties.
A human rights-based approach to gender issues uncovers how human rights issues affect women and men
differently and how power relations and gender-based discriminations affect the effective enjoyment of rights
by all human beings.
(Source: UNWOMEN - Gender Equality Glossary)

INDIRECT DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination occurring where an apparently neutral provision, criterion or practice would put persons of one
sex at a particular disadvantage compared with persons of the other sex, unless that provision, criterion or
practice is objectively justified by a legitimate aim, and the means for achieving that aim are appropriate and
necessary.
(Source: EIGE)

INTERSECTIONAL DISCRIMINATION
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.
(Source: EIGE)

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INTERSECTIONALITY
The theory of “intersectionality” suggests that social identifiers (such as race, ethnicity, faith, socioeconomic
status, class, caste, geographic location, age, ability, sexual orientation, religion, migration status) and
gender come together – or intersect – to result in an individual’s lived experience and contributing to unique
discriminatory experiences.
Intersectionality starts from the premise that people live multiple, layered identities derived from social relations,
history and the operation of structures of power. Intersectional analysis aims to reveal multiple identities,
exposing the different types of intersectional and multiple discrimination and disadvantage that occur as a
consequence of the combination of identities and the intersection of sex and gender with other grounds. (See
also: intersectional discrimination, multiple discrimination).
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE; OECD Guidance “Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in development
co-operation)

INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

Physical, sexual, psychological or economic violence between current or former spouses as well as current or
former partners. It constitutes a form of violence which affects women disproportionately and which is therefore
distinctly gendered.
(Source: EIGE)

LGBTIQ+
This acronym includes individuals from the lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ)
community. LGBTIQ people are people: who are attracted to others of their own gender (lesbian, gay) or any
gender(bisexual); whose gender identity and/or expression does not correspond to the sex they were assigned
at birth (trans, non-binary); who are born with sex characteristics that do not fit the typical definition of male or
female(intersex); and whose identity does not fit into a binary classification of sexuality and/or gender (queer).
It is worth being aware that variations of this term exist, such as LGB, LGBT, GLBT, LGBTI,
LGBTQ+. The last of these includes other gender identities. There are also versions that encompass Asexual
people (for example, LGBTQA). Broadly speaking, these acronyms group together individuals who have a non-
normative gender identity or sexuality.
These definitions should be regarded as “open”, in the sense that they are not intended to qualify individuals
into rigid categories but rather to represent a plurality of diversity that is continually evolving temporally and/or
varying on the basis of culture.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

MASCULINITY
A gender perspective, or way of analysing the impact of gender on people’s opportunities, social roles and
interactions, allows us to see that there is pressure on men and boys to perform and conform to specific roles.
Thus, the term masculinity refers to the social meaning of manhood, which is constructed and defined socially,
historically and politically, rather than being biologically driven. There are many socially constructed definitions
for being a man and these can change over time and from place to place. The term relates to perceived notions
and ideals about how men should or are expected to behave in a given setting. Masculinities are not just about
men; women perform and produce the meaning and practices of the masculine as well.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

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GENDER GLOSSARY

MULTIPLE DISCRIMINATION
Any combination of forms of discrimination against persons on the grounds of sex, racial or ethnic origin,
religion or belief, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or other characteristics, and to discrimination
suffered by those who have, or who are perceived to have, those characteristics.
(Source: EIGE)

PATRIARCHY
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.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

POSITIVE DISCRIMINATION/ACTION/MEASURE

GE NDER GLOSSARY
Action aimed at favouring access by members of certain categories of people, in this particular case, women,
to rights which they are guaranteed, to the same extent as members of other categories, in this particular case,
men.
(Source: EIGE)

SEX
Biological and physiological characteristics that define humans as female or male.
(Source: EIGE)

SEX-DISAGGREGATED DATA
Data collected and tabulated separately for women and men allowing the measurement of differences between
women and men in terms of various social and economic dimensions and are one of the requirements to
obtaining gender statistics.
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

SEXUAL ABUSE
Any actual or threatened physical intrusion of a sexual nature, whether by force or under unequal or coercive
conditions.
(Source: Secretary-General Bulletin ST/SGB/2003/13; DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and
Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance: Key Pillars of Prevention and Response del 12.07.2019;
Codice PSEAH AICS – art.2)

21
SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS
Sexual and reproductive health and rights encompass the multiple physical, psychological, mental, and social
aspects related to the spheres of sexuality and reproduction, including intersectional individual and socio-
cultural factors. SRHR are a basic human right that should be treated with a holistic factual and financial
response to ensure that no one is left behind.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

SEXUAL EXPLOITATION
This includes any behaviour, even if only attempted, to abuse positions of vulnerability, imbalance in terms
of power or trust, for sexual purposes, including behaviours aimed at temporarily, socially or politically taking
advantage of the sexual exploitation of others.
(Source: UN Secretary-General Bulletin ST/SGB/2003/13; DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and
Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance: Key Pillars of Prevention and Response; PSEAH AICS
Code of conduct – art. 2)

SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Unacceptable and unwelcome behaviours and practices of a sexual nature that may include, but are not
limited to, sexual suggestions or demands, requests for sexual favours and sexual, verbal or physical conduct
or gestures, that are or might reasonably be perceived as offensive or humiliating.
(Source: A/RES/73/148; DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, and Harassment in Development Co-
operation and Humanitarian Assistance: Key Pillars of Prevention and Response; PSEAH AICS Code of conduct – art.2)

SEXUAL ORIENTATION
Sexual orientation refers to each person’s capacity for profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction
to, and intimate and sexual relations with, individuals of a different sex/gender or the same sex/ gender or
more than one sex/gender. Basically there are three predominant sexual orientations: towards the same sex/
gender (homosexuality), towards the opposite sex/gender (heterosexuality) or towards both sexes/genders
(bisexuality).
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

SEXUAL VIOLENCE
Sexual violence can take the form of rape or sexual assault. Acts of sexual violence attack the right to sexual
freedom, autonomy, control, integrity and security, as well as the right to experience pleasure and to have a
healthy, safe and satisfying sexual life. At the same time, these rights are intimately related to reproductive
rights, such as the freedom and autonomy to decide when to have children, how many children to have, and
which contraceptive to use.
The term includes all forms of violence deriving from the use or threat of physical or emotional coercion,
including rape, abuse of spouse, extra marital, sexual harassment, incest and paedophilia.
(Source: EIGE, UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

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GENDER GLOSSARY

SEXUALITY EDUCATION
Sexuality education means learning about the cognitive, emotional, social, interactive and physical aspects of
sexuality. Sexuality education starts early in childhood and progresses through adolescence and adulthood.
For children and young people, it aims at supporting and protecting sexual development and it enables them
to make choices which enhance the quality of their lives and contribute to a compassionate and just society.
(Source: GAP III Glossary)

THEORY OF CHANGE FOR GENDER EQUALITY

Theories of change have become important tools to test assumptions about how gender equality change
happens and to build better and more strategic linkages between expected results and the activities that are
supported. A theory of change approach involves asking a series of questions, such as:
• What do we want to change?
• What do we know about how change happens in relation to the change we want to see (is there evidence
to back this up or are there assumptions to be tested)?
• How can that change be supported?

GE NDER GLOSSARY
• How will we know change has happened?
(Source: OECD Guidance “Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in development co-operation)

UNPAID CARE WORK

The term unpaid care work encompasses all the daily activities that sustain our lives and health, such as house
work (food preparation, cleaning, laundry) and personal care (especially of children, the elderly, people who are
sick or have a disability). These activities are most commonly performed by women in the household for free.
The little social and economic value assigned to this work contrasts sharply with its actual importance to
families and society at large. Because care work is considered “women’s work” it is mostly unpaid; because
it is not assigned a monetary value, it is not measured; because it is not visible, it is not taken into account in
policymaking
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

VICTIM BLAMING
Victim blaming is the tendency to blame, in whole or in part, the victims of violence, as co-responsible for the
treatment inflicted on them. Victim blaming exists to a certain degree with all forms of violence. In order not to
question the safety of the world around us when we hear of a violent incident, we may examine the behaviour
of the victim and assure ourselves that if we avoid such risks and behaviour (e.g. being out late alone, venturing
into certain areas, leaving our door unlocked, dressing in a ‘provocative’ way) we will avoid violence.This natural
act of psychological self-defence, however, focuses our attention on the perceived responsibility of the victim,
and may neglect to fully question the conduct of the perpetrator. By shifting the blame to the victim in gender-
based violence, the focus is on the victim, often a woman, and her behaviour, rather than on the structural
causes and inequalities underlying the violence perpetrated against her.
(Source: UN WOMEN – Gender Equality Glossary)

23
WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY
In 2000 the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on “Women, Peace and
Security”, the first Council’s Resolution to expressly consider the impact of wars and conflicts on women and
the contribution of women to conflict resolution and lasting peace. Since 2000, the United Nations Security
Council has adopted further Resolutions on Women, Peace and Security, which underline the disproportionate
impact of armed conflict on women, and stress the importance of involving women in resolution and conflict
prevention, peace negotiations, peace-building, peacekeeping, and post-conflict reconstruction. Furthermore,
sexual violence is considered a tactic of war and a threat to international peace and security.
(Source: CIDU, IV Piano d’azione Nazionale Donne, Pace e Sicurezza)

WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT
Process by which women gain power and control over their own lives and acquire the ability to make strategic
choices.
Women’s empowerment has many components.These include women’s sense of self-worth, their right to have and to
determine choices, and their right to have access to opportunities and access to and control over resources. Included
too is women’s right to have power to control their own lives, both within and outside the home, and their ability to
challenge and transform the relations, structures and institutions that reinforce and perpetuate gender discrimination
and inequality. An understanding of empowerment needs to begin from women’s own experience, rather than focus
on a predictable set of outcomes. Women may feel empowered in different ways, and at different times, e.g., through
self-confidence, family support, collective action, education, etc. Simultaneously, a woman may feel disempowered
in certain circumstances, e.g., if threatened with violence, harassment, or denied access to decision-making. The
intersection of different layers of inequalities is critical here (see Intersectionality).
(Source: GAP III Glossary/EIGE)

WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS (WHRDS)

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.
(Source: EIGE)

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EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND GIRLS:
GENDER GLOSSARY

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 United Nations, UN Women - Gender Equality Glossary:
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https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/77421/WHO_RHR_12.38_eng.pdf?sequence=1

World Health Organization (WHO), Female Genital Mutilation,

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation#:~:text=Female%20genital%20
mutilation%20%28FGM%29%20comprises%20all%20procedures%20that,practice%20is%20mostly%20carrie-
d%20out%20by%20traditional%20practitioners.?msclkid=32a2627daa9011ecbef794c7c9cde126

World Health Organization (WHO), Gender and Health:

ADDENDUM

https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/gender-and-health?msclkid=e8b5f0baaa9211ecb33
01bac876ce15b

World Health Organization (WHO), (2008). Eliminating Female Genital Mutilation: An Interagency Statement –
UNAIDS, UNDP, UNECA, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCHR, UNHCR, UNICEF, UNIFEM, WHO
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241596442?msclkid=c48feef7d11e11ecb8b3688f7203cded

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ON THE COVER

EL SALVADOR MOZAMBICO

Activities of the Italian Cooperation in El Salvador. Activities of the Italian Cooperation in Mozambique..
Photo by Luigi Carta Photo by Ilaria Quintas

SENEGAL AFGHANISTAN.

Figure 8. Activities of the Italian Cooperation in Senegal. Activities of the Italian Cooperation in Afghanistan..
Photo by Audy Valera Photo by UNFPA

SUDAN

Activities of the Italian Cooperation in Sudan.

Photo by Francesca Nardi

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