The Gender Equality Index is a unique measurement tool that synthesises the complexity of gender equality as a multi-dimensional concept into a user-friendly and easily interpretable measure.
It is formed by combining gender indicators, according to a conceptual framework, into a single summary measure. It consists of six core domains (work, money, knowledge, time, power and health) and two satellite domains (intersecting inequalities and violence).
The Gender Equality Index measures how far (or close) the EU-27 and its Member States were from achieving complete gender equality in 2010. It provides results at both Member States and EU-27 level. The Gender Equality Index also provides results for each domain and sub-domain.
It measures gender gaps that are adjusted to levels of achievement, ensuring that gender gaps cannot be regarded positively where they point to an adverse situation for both women and men. The Gender Equality Index assigns scores for Member States, between 1, total inequality and 100, full equality.
Background and Policy Framework
Equality between women and men is a fundamental value of the European Union, enshrined in its Treaties and in the Charter of Fundamental Rights. The EU plays a crucial role in ensuring that the principle of gender equality filters down from the international and EU level to national, regional and local levels. Over time and in various areas, specific policies have been developed to improve gender equality in the European Union and in the Member States.
Women and girls must be a priority, said participants in a high-level debate at the United Nations. Photo Credit: UNFPA/Omar Kasrawi
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Heads of state, dignitaries and other leaders participated today in a high-level debate at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, addressing the central role of human rights, dignity, equality and health to sustainable development.
Moderated by Rajesh Mirchandani, the anchor of BBC World News, the debate focused on the progress made and challenges remaining 20 years after the historic adoption of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt. The ICPD brought the world to a consensus recognizing women and girls as individuals entitled to the same opportunities, choices and rights as men.
“The Programme of Action charted a course that truly brought together the two aspects of development we are discussing today: human progress and sustainability,” said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA. “Fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth. Maternal mortality worldwide fell by nearly half between 1990 and 2010. More women have access to education, work and political participation. More children, girls in particular, are going to school, with primary school enrolment rates approaching 90 per cent.”
Roma women face double discrimination, especially when it comes to education, employment, health and housing
Since its early days, the Decade of Roma Inclusion has focused primarily on four priority areas: employment, education, health and housing.
Even though gender equality is a cross-cutting issue, attention to this area has been significantly smaller throughout the years.
Usually, gender equality is treated as an isolated category, rather than a social factor that is a part of all social categories and issues.
In recent years, the interest in interaction between ethnicity and gender has grown.
All regional surveys that UNDP conducted in Central and Eastern Europe targeting marginalized Roma (2002, 2004, 2011) produced data which allow for basic disaggregation by sex – allowing for analyzing how ethnicity interacts with gender.
The most recent Regional Roma Survey in 2011 (conducted by UNDP, the World Bank and the European Commission) went even further. In addition to producing data disaggregated by sex, the collection of data was also done in a gender sensitive way – interviews were conducted by a pair of enumerators (male and female) to enable better and open access to respondents.
The research paper written by Angela Kocze and Ewa Cukrowska attempts to address the status of Roma women in various thematic fields such as education, employment, health and housing, when compared with non-Roma women and Roma men.
Strasbourg – To mark International Roma Day on Tuesday 8 April, the Council of Europe has organised several exhibitions in the Palais de l'Europe, its main headquarters building in Strasbourg, France.
“Roma Politics in Austria”, organised by the Austrian Permanent Representation to the Council of Europe, will be inaugurated at 13h00 on Monday 7 April by the Austrian Foreign Minister and Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Sebastian Kurz, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Anne Brasseur and the head of the Austrian delegation to PACE, Gisela Wurm. It will remain on display until Friday 11 April, in the foyer of the Committee of Ministers meeting room.
A second exhibition “Romani language: an asset for education and diversity” has been organised in partnership with the European Roma and Travellers Forum, Romani Baxt and the Dosta! campaign. Running from 7-18 April, this exhibition aims to inform the public about the challenges and opportunities involved in reintegrating Roma language and culture into European society. The inauguration ceremony for this exhibition will take place on Tuesday 8 April at 14h00 in the main entrance hall of the Council of Europe. It will include a musical performance by a young Roma flautist from Romania, Blanca Alecu, and a poetry reading by the exhibition author, Roma professor in Romani language and culture, Marcel Courthiade, as well as the projection of several new anti-Gypsyism/anti-discrimination video clips promoting the Dosta! campaign.
Finally, an online exhibition of photo by Sandro Weltin, entitled “Roma - Role Models”, showing successful and integrated Roma people in a positive light, to support the messages of the Dosta! campaign, will be published on the Council of Europe’s homepage.
Извор: Совет на Европа – 04.04.2014
