The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) is a
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
-initiated body dedicated exclusively to
gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
. In accordance to
Regulation (EC) the institute was founded on 20 December 2006. The staff of the institute was recruited in 2007 at the European coordinating body in
Vilnius
Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
. Since the beginning, the institution has difficulties to balance the
democratic deficit
A democratic deficit (or democracy deficit) occurs when ostensibly democratic organizations or institutions (particularly governments) fall short of fulfilling the principles of democracy in their practices or operation where representative and l ...
, in the context of the issue of equality between women and men. From the very beginning equality is one of the principles of the EU. Nevertheless, there is an existing gender gap in the levels of participation, payment and benefits of women in comparison to men in the EU.
Tasks
The task of EIGE is to collect, analyze and spread data on the equality between women and men. The provision of facts ensures that gender equality is promoted. They rather help institutions and
Member States of the European Union (EU) to realize the equality and to combat gender-based discrimination as sexism, disadvantage and the past-in-present-discrimination. The institution takes account of the national tasks and policy areas as well as the European ones through the principle of
gender mainstreaming
Gender mainstreaming is the public policy concept of assessing the implications for people of different genders of a planned policy action, including legislation and programmes. Mainstreaming offers a pluralistic approach that values the diversi ...
. The work helps and aims at equalizing men and women in all spheres of life. The collection of representative data is intended to reduce the gender gap and balance
gender inequality
Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in the society. Some of these distinctions are empi ...
. EIGE has become a European knowledge center for gender equality through its many resources and research results.
Organization Structures
EIGE is an institution of the European Union. The pursuit of tasks and objectives, which are delegated by the
European Council and the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
, are achieved through framework strategies and initiatives. The management of the institution is taken over by the board of directors. It consists of 18 representatives of the
Member States as well as a representative of the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body ...
. In addition to the board of directors, there is the Expert Advisory Council, which supports EIGE as an advisory body. One instrument of the institution is the involvement of
candidate countries and Member States. Furthermore social partners, civil society organizations and the European Commission are involved as well as the Parliament. The provided information and the high level of expertise enable the European Union together with the European Commission and Member States to implement and manage informed policy-making.
Gender Equality Index
The
Gender Equality Index is an instrument developed by EIGE and used for the first time in 2013. This index simplifies the measurement of gender equality in the Member States. A concept of different theoretical approaches with important questions to gender equality provides the framework. The questions are treated in the core domains. The country comparison is calculated by the individual values of the Member States and six core domains of the index. The gender indicators are summed up according to the framework concept, so that at the end a cumulative summary measure is created. The central "core domains are Power, Time, Knowledge, Health, Money and Work" and since the third edition of the publication of the index it has also an intersectional approach. The satellite domains are a measure of phenomena that occur only in one specific population group. They concern, in particular, the intersectional inequality and violence. The total sum range is between 1 and 100 points. The value one represents total inequality, while 100 represents total equality. This can be used to determine the individual value for each Member State as well as the European average. The index ensures that the complexity of the topic can be interpretable and simplified.
The Gender Equality Index 2017 and the Member States in comparison
The index score in the EU-average is 66.2 points out of 100 at the last publication in 2015 which represents an improvement of 1.2 points compared to the reference year 2012.
Sweden is the front runner with 82.5 points, the last is
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
with 50.00 out of 100 points.
Spain
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, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
is just above the average with 68.3 points compared to
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, which is just below the average with 65.5 points. The most gender-equal societies consistency are Sweden and
Denmark
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, establish ...
. Whereas,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
show the best improvement over the decade. The improvement of a balanced decision-making of women and men was the main driver of progress in nearly all EU-Member States. Throughout the last 10 years, the following three Member States did not record any improvement: the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
,
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
and
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
.
In the core domains power, knowledge and money has been a positive development compared to the reference year in 2012. Of all domains, "power“ is still the lowest-performing domain with only 48.5 points out of 100. The domain "time" has a negative development, the value is 65.7 points. That means that the inequality in this domain has grown between women and men. The score is lower than in 2005.
The index shows that "the EU still has a lot of room for improv
ng ..equality between men and women".
Activities and Highlights
EIGE publications
Reliable and comparable data are a precondition for data collection. At the same time, different methods and definitions, such as the term "
violence
Violence is the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. Other definitions are also used, such as the World Health Organization's definition of violence as "the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened ...
“, make reliable data collection more difficult. Country-specific recommendations launched by EIGE solve this problem allowing for improved data collection and reporting.
This will help:
* to develop and understand issues about gender equality;
* to grasp the full scope of specific issues, so that suggestions for improvement can occur.
This enables EIGE:
* to understand the consequences, to set comparisons and demonstrate evaluations as well as formulations of trend-setting recommendations and effective measures in publications;
* to monitor, control and improve the response of certain situations from the justice and police is also made possible.
The publications of EIGE can help politicians to support their
policy-making. Thus will allow progress in gender equality policies to be achieved.
Examples of publications are under the topic "
Cyber violence
Cyberbullying or cyberharassment is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Cyberbullying and cyberharassment are also known as online bullying. It has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers, as the digital ...
: a very real threat" the report "Cyber violence against women and girls" and under the further topic "
Female genital mutilation: a problem for the EU" the report "Estimation of girls at risk of female genital mutilation in the European Union".
Beijing Platform for Action
The
Beijing Platform
International Women's Year (IWY) was the name given to 1975 by the United Nations. Since that year March 8 has been celebrated as International Women's Day, and the United Nations Decade for Women, from 1976 to 1985, was also established.
Hist ...
of Action is a commitment at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...
level entered by the EU, which was adopted at the
Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995. This commitment serves the
empowerment of women
Women's empowerment (or female empowerment) may be defined in several ways, including accepting women's viewpoints, making an effort to seek them and raising the status of women through Education, education, social awareness, awareness, literac ...
. Overall this affect 12 areas in which the engagement is supported. EIGE supports the Member States and the EU to observe the international commitment. The process is as follows: once in a year the present
Presidency of the Council of the EU may select one of the 12 areas and initiates a closer examination. The collection of data by EIGE provides a sound base for political recommendations.
See also
*
Gender equality
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing d ...
*
Gender Equality Index
*
Gender inequality
Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in the society. Some of these distinctions are empi ...
References
External links
*
Regulation (EC) No 1922/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on establishing a European Institute for Gender Equality*
Gender Equality Indexbr>
Beijing Platform for Action
{{Authority control
Agencies of the European Union
Gender equality
2006 establishments in Lithuania
2006 in the European Union
Government agencies established in 2006
Organizations based in Vilnius
Gender studies organizations