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Gender Equality

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Gender-sensitive indicators

Progress towards gender equality goals is measured with gender-sensitive indicators and indices.

Indicators allow for the monitoring of changes in gender differences and gender relations over time.

An indicator differs from statistics in that it helps to assess changes and progress in the social environment and progress towards the goal, ie it can be used to assess how the goal corresponds to the actual result.

Indicators may be numbers, facts, opinions or views that illustrate a particular issue or situation and measure changes in that situation over time.

Gender-sensitive indicators suitable for a specific area must allow for the measurement of differences in the situation of men and women and the reduction in social inequality or the increase in gender equality at the level of results and impact. Simply counting the number of men and women involved in an activity is not enough for an assessment.

For example, the proportion of women in certain training or employment measures may be higher, but if the courses offered to women are shorter and result in poorer qualifications, the project may not support gender equality.

Gender-sensitive indicators are divided into quantitative and qualitative indicators.

Quantitative gender-sensitive indicators are based on statistical data presented by gender.

For example, the proportion of women in the parliament, the number of unemployed people by gender, the number of participants/service users by gender, public transport use by gender, life expectancy by gender, the ratio of female leaders in the economic sector to all female employees in the economic sector (the so-called glass ceiling effect).

Qualitative gender-sensitive indicators are based on things like semi-structured or unstructured interviews and focus group interviews and express changes in men’s and women’s attitudes, experiences, opinions, etc.

For example, significantly improved awareness of gender equality in the company by the end of the first year of the project, improved self-esteem of women after career training, etc.