Glossary of Gender Terms
| Term | Definition | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Achievements | Well-being outcomes - such as being healthy and well-nourished, being safe, being educated, having a good job, being able to visit loved ones. They are also related to goods and income but describe what a person is able to do or be with these. For example, when people’s basic need for food (a commodity) is met, they enjoy the functioning of being well-nourished. See also Empowerment. | Kabeer, N. 1999. Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women's Empowerment. Development and change, 30, 435-466 |
| AFAB | Assigned Female at Birth | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Affirmative Action | Refers to policies that take into account race, ethnicity, or gender to promote equal opportunity and to redress historical disadvantages resulting from dis | http://www.ipsnews.net/publications/keygenderconcepts.pdf |
| Agency | The ability to define one's goals and act upon them. Including processes of decision making, as well as less measurable manifestations of agency such as negotiation. See also Empowerment. | Kabeer, N. 1999. Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women's Empowerment. Development and change, 30, 435-465 |
| Ally | A term used to describe someone who is actively supportive of LGBTQ people. It encompasses straight and cisgender allies, as well as those within the LGBTQ community who support each other (e.g., a lesbian who is an ally to the bisexual community). | https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms |
| AMAB | Assigned Male at Birth | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Asexual | Often referred to as “Ace”, this is an umbrella term used for individuals who do not experience, or experience a low level, of sexual desire. This identity can include those who are interested in having romantic relationships, and those who are not. People of different sexual orientations and gender identities can be asexual. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Assisting Spouses | Spouses of people who are engaged in work usually of a self-employed or independent nature, where the spouse is an important contributor to the work but does not necessarily receive direct remuneration for it, and is often not entitled to social protection benefits. | https://eige.europa.eu/thesaurus/terms/1042 |
| Bisexual | someone who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to more than one gender. This used to exclusively mean attraction to men and women. More recently the term “bisexual” is used to refer to someone who is attracted to two or more genders out of the many gender identities. Gender identity is the internal perception of one’s gender and how a person labels themselves, based on how they align or do not align with what they understand gender to be. There are many gender identities, such as man, woman, non-binary, genderqueer, genderfluid, or transgender. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Care Economy | The sector of economy that is responsible for the provision of care and services that contribute to the nurturing and reproduction of current and future populations. More specifically, it involves child care, elder care, education, healthcare, and personal social and domestic services that are provided in both paid and unpaid forms and within formal and informal sectors. See also Care Work, Reproductive Labour. | https://research.american.edu/careworkeconomy/blog/2021/04/02/what-is-the-care-economy-and-why-we-should-know-more-about-it-particularly-now/ |
| Care Work | The work of caring for others, including unpaid care for family members and friends, as well as paid care for others. Caring work includes taking care of children, the elderly, the sick, and the disabled, as well as doing domestic work such as cleaning and cooking. As reproductive labour, care work is necessary to the continuation of every society. By deploying the term ‘‘care work,’’ scholars and advocates emphasize the importance of recognizing that care is not simply a natural and uncomplicated response to those in need, but actually hard physical, mental, and emotional work, which is often unequally distributed through society (Meyer 2000). Because care tends to be economically devalued, many scholars who study care work emphasize the skill required for care, and the importance of valuing care. See also Care Economy, Reproductive Labour. | https://sociology.iresearchnet.com/sociology-of-family/carework/ |
| Cisgender | A term used to describe a person whose gender identity aligns with those typically associated with the sex assigned to them at birth. | https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms |
| Cisnormativity | Assumes that everyone is cisgendered and that all people will continue to identify with the gender they were assigned at birth. Cisnormativity erases the existence of transgender/trans and gender diverse people. | https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/lgbtiq-communities |
| De Facto Discrimination | Comes from practice, e.g., a man and woman may hold the same job position and perform the same duties, but their benefits may differ. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| De Jure Discrimination | Comes from the law, de jure discrimination e.g., in some countries, a woman is not legally allowed to leave the country or hold a job without the consent of her husband. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Demisexual | Often referred to as “Demi”, this is a term used to describe someone who can only experience sexual attraction after an emotional bond has been formed. This bond does not have to be romantic in nature. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Discrimination (gender) | “Any distinction, exclusion or restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on the basis of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field” [United Nations, 1979. ‘Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women,’ Article 1]. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Discriminatory Family Code | Captures social institutions that limit women’s decision-making power and undervalue their status in the household and the family. These formal and informal laws, social norms and practices co-exist in different types of legal systems including civil or common law, customary law, and religious laws and cover areas such as marriage, parental authority and inheritance. Women’s decision-making power and status determine both their ability to choose their own development pathways and the well-being of their families. Includes the following variables: Legal age of marriage, Early marriage, Parental authority during marriage, Parental authority after divorce, Inheritance rights for widows, Inheritance rights for daughters, Divorce, Unpaid care work. See GID-DB Variables. | https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/gid-variables-family-code/ |
| Diversity | Any dimension that can be used to differentiate groups and people from one another. In a nutshell, it’s about empowering people by respecting and appreciating what makes them different, in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education, and national origin. Allows for the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment. It means understanding one another by surpassing simple tolerance to ensure people truly value their differences. This allows us both to embrace and also to celebrate the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual and place positive value on diversity in the community and in the workforce. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htm https://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| Domestic Division of Labour | The distribution between family members of those responsibilities and tasks necessary for the ongoing maintenance of a domestic home and of the people who live in it. Sometimes, the concepts of the ‘sexual’ division of labour or the ‘gendered’ division of labour are used in recognition that, historically and currently (especially in many Western industrial societies),there are marked differences between women and men in responsibilities for and the performance of the tasks necessary for daily living in a family household. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htm https://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| Domestic Violence / Abuse | Violence that can be defined as a pattern of behaviour in any relationship that is used to gain or maintain power and control over an intimate partner. Abuse is physical, sexual, emotional, economic or psychological actions or threats of actions that influence another person. This includes any behaviours that frighten, intimidate, terrorize, manipulate, hurt, humiliate, blame, injure, or wound someone. Domestic abuse can happen to anyone of any race, age, sexual orientation, religion, or gender. It can occur within a range of relationships including couples who are married, living together or dating. Domestic violence affects people of all socioeconomic backgrounds and education levels. It is typically manifested as a pattern of abusive behaviour toward an intimate partner in a dating or family relationship, where the abuser exerts power and control over the victim. See also 'Intimate Partner Violence'. | Adapted from https://www.un.org/en/coronavirus/what-is-domestic-abuse |
| Economic Violence / Abuse | Includes denying a woman access to and control over basic resources (UN General Assembly, 2006). It causes, or attempts to cause, an individual to become financially dependent on another person, by obstructing their access to or control over resources and/or independent economic activity. It includes acts such as the denial of funds, refusal to contribute financially, denial of food and basic needs, and controlling access to health care or employment. | https://www.svri.org/research-methods/definitionshttps://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/publications/violence-against-women-key-terminology-knowvawdata |
| Emotional Violence | See 'Psychological Violence' | |
| Empowerment | A collective and individual process of women and men having control over their lives, setting their own agendas, gaining skills, building self-confidence, solving problems and developing self-reliance. Education facilitates this process, enabling boys and girls to question existing inequalities, as well as act for change. One of the most influential definition of empowerment was coined by Naila Kabeer (1999 ). She defines empowerment as an expansion in people’s abilities to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them, arguing that empowerment, per essence, entails transformation. Kabeer contends that the ability to exercise choice can be thought of in terms of three inter-related elements: resources (pre-conditions),agency (process) and achievements (outcomes). See also Agency; Achievements; Resources. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htm https://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality, https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education Kabeer, N. 1999. Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women's Empowerment. Development and change, 30, 435-464 |
| Entitlement | In institutional economics, a relationship, such as ownership or leasehold, to an asset or a stream of income, as distinct from the income or asset itself. In a private ownership market economy, entitlements may be based on inheritance or transfer, or on acquisition of commodities through trade, entrepreneurship, or own labour. The concept of entitlements comes from law, and is useful to underscore institutional structure - whether of property ownership or a job contract. It links economic outcomes to social elements, the law and practice. feminist economists such as Kabeer (1996) have emphasised the institutional rules, norms and practices from which entitlements are derived and the gender biases that inhere in these. For example, while women often have inheritance rights in formal law, in practice, these rights can be subverted by relatives, or, in some cases, are voluntarily ceded. In general, women have more constrained and weaker entitlements; more frequently experience entitlement failure; receive lower returns from translating entitlements and endowments into capabilities; and have less choice over determining capabilities. | http://www1.aucegypt.edu/src/macroeconomics/PDFS/gender%20and%20macroeconomics.pdf |
| Equal Pay | When men and women receive equal pay for work of equal or comparable value. In practical terms, this means that (1) men and women performing the same work are paid the same amount, and (2) men and women performing different work of equal or comparable value are paid the same amount. See also: Gender Pay Gap. | Adapted from https://www.wgea.gov.au/the-gender-pay-gap |
| Externality | The benefit or cost to society or to another agent of the action of a private person; a third-party effect. Externalities may be positive or negative. For example, the social externalities arising from investments in female education are positive and significant. Evidence from a large number of countries shows that female education is linked with better health for women and their children and with lower fertility levels. (World Bank 1995, p. 23-5). In macroeconomics, the benefit to firms realised by the labour of women in the reproductive sector may be seen as a positive externality. The care and pre-school education of children, for example, is a public good from which the whole of society benefits, while the cost is borne largely by women. The valuation of unpaid labour in the domestic sector would make such externalities visible in the national accounts. See also 'Unpaid Labour', 'Reproductive Labour'. | http://www1.aucegypt.edu/src/macroeconomics/PDFS/gender%20and%20macroeconomics.pdf |
| Father-Specific Parental and Home Care Leave | Father-specific parental and home care leave: covers any weeks of employment-protected parental or home care leave that can be used only by the father or ‘other parent’. This includes any weeks of parental leave that are an individual non-transferable entitlement for the father or ‘other parent’, plus any weeks of sharable leave that are effectively ‘reserved’ because they must be used by the partner of the main leave-taker (often the father) in order for the family to qualify for bonus weeks. Weeks are included here only if they are fully non-transferable. Any entitlements that are initially given to the father but that can be transferred to the mother are not included. | https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF2_1_Parental_leave_systems.pdf |
| FtM/F2M | Female-to-male; An FtM/F2M transgender person is someone who was assigned female at birth but identifies on the masculine side of the gender spectrum (e.g. identifies as a transman, a man, or as masculine). | https://https://www.outrightinternational.org/content/acronyms-explained |
| Gay | A man who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to other men | https://https://www.outrightinternational.org/content/acronyms-explained |
| Gender | Roles, attributes, values and opportunities which are socially constructed and associated with being male or female. The social construction of being a woman or a man, a girl or a boy determines how they are perceived, what is expected of them, what they are allowed to do and how they are valued in a particular context. Inequalities emerge because of the different social expectations and values for women and men, girls and boys, their roles and responsibilities, access and control over resources and participation in decision making. A focus on gender rather than women recognises the different needs and interests of both women and men and the power relations between them. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htmhttps://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| Gender (or Biological) Essentialism | The traditional idea that the gender of humans is defined by their biology (specifically, being born with ‘male’ or ‘female’ reproductive systems respectively). | FJ |
| Gender (Role) Stereotyping | The portrayal, in media or books or conversations, of socially assigned gender roles as "normal" and "natural." | https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadl089.pdf |
| Gender Accommodating | Similar to the concept of Gender Sensitivity, gender accommodating means not only being aware of gender differences but also adjusting and adapting to those differences. However, gender accommodating does not address the inequalities generated by unequal norms, roles and relations (i.e., no remedial or transformative action is developed). | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Gender Accommodating | Gender Accommodating Programs/Policies acknowledge but work around gender differences and inequalities to achieve project objectives. Although this approach may result in short term benefits and realization of outcomes, it does not attempt to reduce gender inequality or address the gender systems that contribute to the differences and inequalities. | https://www.igwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FG_GendrIntegrContinuum.pdf |
| Gender and Development (GAD) | This approach shifts the focus from women as a group to the socially determined relations between women and men. A GAD approach focuses on the social, economic, political, and cultural forces that determine how men and women might participate in, benefit from, and control project resources and activities differently. | https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadl089.pdf |
| Gender Aware | Gender aware policies and programs examine and address the set of economic, social and political roles, responsibilities, rights, entitlements, obligations and power relations associated with being female and male, and the dynamics between and among women and men, and girls and boys. See also Gender Sensitive. | http://sbccimplementationkits.org/gender/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2016/03/Activity-0.1_Understanding-and-Applying-the-Gender-Equality-Continuum.pdf |
| Gender Blind | Gender blind policies and programs ignore gender considerations. They are designed without any analysis of the culturally defined set of economic, social and political roles, responsibilities, rights, entitlements, obligations and power relations associated with being female and male, or the dynamics between and among women and men, girls and boys. See also Gender Blind. | http://sbccimplementationkits.org/gender/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2016/03/Activity-0.1_Understanding-and-Applying-the-Gender-Equality-Continuum.pdf |
| Gender Blindness | The failure to recognize that the roles and responsibilities of men/boys and women/girls are given to them in specific social, cultural, economic and political contexts and backgrounds. Projects, programmes, policies and attitudes which are gender blind do not take into account these different roles and diverse needs, maintain status quo, and will not help transform the unequal structure of gender relations | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Gender Dysphoria | Refers to discomfort or distress that is associated with a discrepancy between a person’s gender identity and that person’s sex assigned at birth (and the associated gender role and/or primary and secondary sex characteristics) (Fisk, 1974; Knudson, De Cuypere, & Bockting, 2010b). Only some gender-nonconforming people experience gender dysphoria at some point in their lives. (Coleman, et al. 2011) | https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/lgbt/key-terms.pdf |
| Gender Economics | An emerging field of study that builds on the theories of diversity and promotes the value of gender balance, particularly in the area of innovation and creativity. It looks at how gender influences economics and economic decisions and how those decisions impact gender. Gender Economics is gender neutral and encompasses male, female, and other gendered identities. It also describes the economic impact of systems, processes and frameworks which are founded on gender inequities. It concerns the 'influence of gender on economics and the influence of economics on gender' (Susanne Moore 2012). | https://gendereconomics.com/ |
| Gender Equality | The equal rights, responsibilities, opportunities for women and men, girls and boys. It does not mean that women and men are the same but their rights, responsibilities and opportunities do not depend on whether they are male of female and that their interests, needs and priorities are treated equally. Gender equality can be measured through the rates of participation of men and women in training and workforce opportunities, along with decision making, access to and control over resources and the tangible and intangible benefits they receive. Also see Substantive Equality. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htmhttps://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| Gender Equality Continuum Tool | A conceptual tool for a assessing where programs are situated on a continuum from 'gender blind' or 'gender aware'. The 4 stages are: Gender Exploitative; Gender Accommodating; and Gender Transformative, with an end goal of achieving Gender Equality and better development outcomes. | https://www.igwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FG_GendrIntegrContinuum.pdf |
| Gender Equity | A step that leads to equality. Targeted measures are often needed to compensate for historical and social disadvantages that prevent women and men from otherwise being equals. These measures (temporary special measures),such as affirmative action, may necessitate different treatment of women and men in order to ensure an equal outcome. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htmhttps://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| Gender Exploitative | Gender exploitative programs/policies are programs/policies which intentionally or unintentionally reinforce or take advantage of gender inequalities and stereotypes in pursuit of project outcome, or whose approach exacerbates inequalities. This approach is harmful and can undermine the objectives of the program in the long run. | https://www.igwg.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FG_GendrIntegrContinuum.pdf |
| Gender Expression | An individual’s presentation, including physical appearance, clothing choice and accessories, and behaviour that communicates aspects of gender or gender role. Gender expression may or may not conform to a person’s gender identity | https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/lgbt/key-terms.pdf |
| Gender Identity | A person’s deeply-felt, inherent sense of being a boy, a man, or male; a girl, a woman, or female; or an alternative gender (e.g., genderqueer, gender non-conforming, boygirl, ladyboi) which may or may not correspond to a person’s sex assigned at birth or to a person’s primary or secondary sex characteristics. Since gender identity is internal, a person’s gender identity is not necessarily visible to others. ‘Affirmed gender identity’ refers to a person’s gender identify after coming out as transgender or gender non-conforming or undergoing a social and/or medical transition process | https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/lgbt/key-terms.pdf |
| Gender Indicators | Criteria used to assess gender-related change in a condition and to measure progress over time toward gender equality. Indicators used can be quantitative (data, facts, numbers) and qualitative (opinions, feelings, perceptions, experiences). | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts.pdf |
| Gender Mainstreaming | The process of assessing the implications for women and men of any planned action, including legislation, regulations, policies or programmes, in all areas and at all levels. It 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. The ultimate goal is to achieve gender equality. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htmhttps://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| Gender Needs, Practical | Those needs required to overcome development shortcomings, that are gender-specific but do not challenge gender roles, such as access to healthcare, water availability and employment opportunities. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Gender Needs, Strategic | Requirements of women and men to improve their position or status. Addressing these needs allow people to have control over their lives beyond socially-defined restrictive roles. Strategic gender needs for women might include land rights, more decision-making power, equal pay and greater access to credit. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Gender Neutral | Anything – a concept, an entity, a style of language – that is unassociated with either the male or female gender. The nature of systemic and embedded or internalized bias is such that, unfortunately often, what is perceived to be gender neutral is in fact 'gender blind'. See Gender Blind. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts.pdf |
| Gender Non-conforming | used to refer to someone who does not conform to prevailing cultural and social expectations about what is appropriate gender expression for their perceived gender. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Gender Parity | A numerical concept. In education it implies that the same number of boys and girls receive educational services at different levels and in diverse forms. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htmhttps://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| Gender Pay Gap | Measures the difference between the average earnings of women and men in the workforce. The gender pay gap is an internationally established measure of women’s position in economy in comparison to men. It is the result of the social and economic factors that combine to reduce women’s earning capacity over their lifetime. Closing the gender pay gap goes beyond just ensuring equal pay. It requires cultural change to remove the barriers to the full and equal participation of women in the workforce. See also: Equal Pay. | Adapted from https://www.wgea.gov.au/the-gender-pay-gap |
| Gender Role | Refers to a pattern of appearance, personality, and behaviour that, in a given culture, is associated with being a boy/man/male or being a girl/woman/female.. A person’s gender role may or may not conform to what is expected based on a person’s sex assigned at birth. Gender role may also refer to the social role one is living in (e.g., as a woman, a man, or another gender),with some role characteristics conforming and others not conforming to what is associated with girls/women or boys/men in a given culture and time | https://www.apa.org/pi/lgbt/programs/safe-supportive/lgbt/key-terms.pdf |
| Gender Sensitive | (Of programmes and policies) being aware of and addressing gender differences. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Gender Transformative Approaches (GTA) | programs and interventions that create opportunities for individuals to actively challenge gender norms, promote positions of social and political influence for women in communities, and address power inequities between persons of different genders. GTA create an enabling environment for gender transformation by going beyond just including women as participants. GTA are part of a continuum of gender integration, or the integration of gender issues into all aspects of program and policy conceptualization, development, implementation and evaluation. Seel also Diversity; Social Inclusion; Gender Mainstreaming. | https://www.healthcommcapacity.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Gender-Transformative-Approaches-An-HC3-Research-Primer.pdf |
| Gender-Biased Sex Selection | Sex selection can take place before a pregnancy is established, during pregnancy through prenatal sex detection and selective abortion, or following birth through infanticide or child neglect. Sex selection is sometimes used for family balancing purposes but far more typically occurs because of a systematic preference for boys. The biologically normal sex ratio at birth ranges from 102 to 106 males per 100 females. However, ratios higher than normal – sometimes as high as 130 – have been observed. This is now causing increasing concern in some South Asian, East Asian and Central Asian countries (See: Son Preference) | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Gendered Violence (GV),Gender-Based Violence (GBV) / | An umbrella term for any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will and that is based on socially ascribed (gender) differences between females and males. The nature and extent of specific types of GBV vary across cultures, countries and regions. Examples include sexual violence, including sexual exploitation/abuse and forced prostitution, domestic violence, trafficking, forced/early marriage, harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation, honour killings and widow inheritance. See also: Violence Against Women, Intimate Partner Violence, Domestic Violence, Sexual Violence / Abuse. For a visual overview of how the various types of Gendered Violence overlap, see this diagram: https://www.svri.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2020-08-14/JansenH.PNG | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf https://www.svri.org/sites/default/files/attachments/2020-08-14/JansenH.PNG |
| Gender-Expansive | A person with a wider, more flexible range of gender identity and/or expression than typically associated with the binary gender system. Often used as an umbrella term when referring to young people still exploring the possibilities of their gender expression and/or gender identity. | https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms |
| Genderqueer | See entry 'Nonbinary and Genderqueer' | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) | Government planning, programming and budgeting that contributes to the advancement of gender equality and the fulfillment of women's rights. It entails identifying and reflecting needed interventions to address gender gaps in sector and local government policies, plans and budgets. GRB also aims to analyze the gender differentiated impact of revenue-raising policies and the allocation of domestic resources and Official Development Assistance | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| GID-DB (The OECD Gender, Institutions and Development Database) | A database providing researchers and policymakers with key data on gender-based discrimination in social institutions. This data helps analyse women’s economic empowerment and understand gender gaps in other key areas of development. See GID-DB Variables. | https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/gid-variables-family-code/ |
| GID-DB Variables | Key indicators of gender discrimination, as measured by the OECD: Includes Discriminatory Family Code; Son Bias; Restricted Civil Liberties; Restricted Physical Integrity; Restricted Resources and Assets. See GID-DB. | https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/gid-variables-family-code/ |
| GSM | Gender and Sexuality Minority; This is a shorthand or umbrella term for people who are non-straight and/or non-cisgender. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Heteronormativity | The view that heterosexual relationships are the only natural, normal and legitimate expressions of sexuality and relationships, and that other sexualities or gender identities are unnatural and a threat to society (GLHV, 2016). | https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/lgbtiq-communities |
| Heterosexism | Describes a social system that privileges heteronormative beliefs, values and practice. Heterosexism provides the social backdrop for homophobic and transphobic prejudices, violence and discrimination against people with non-heteronormative sexualities and gender identities and intersex varieties (Fileborn, 2012; GLHV, 2016). | https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/lgbtiq-communities |
| Home Care Leave / Childcare of Child Raising Leave | Home care leave (or childcare or child raising leave): employment-protected leaves of absence that sometimes follow parental leave and that typically allow at least one parent to remain at home to provide care until the child is two or three years of age. Home care leaves are less common than the other three types of leave and are offered only in a minority of OECD countries. They are also often unpaid. Where a benefit is available, home care leaves tend to be paid only at a low flat-rate. | https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF2_1_Parental_leave_systems.pdf |
| Indirect Impact | When women take up new market activities in response to changed incentive structures, there may be impact on other family members. They may leave behind essential tasks, such as meal preparation, cleaning and childcare, and homecare of the sick. The resulting withdrawal of children, usually girls, to take up these tasks is an illustration of the real value of housework to the household unit, relative to the family's expected private return from schooling for girls. The opportunity cost of sending a girl to school is now as high as the value of the household work that cannot be dispensed with. Even though neither this cost, nor the full cost of schooling, are set out in explicit accounts, the decision-making family is acting on the basis of implicit calculations of these balances. | http://www1.aucegypt.edu/src/macroeconomics/PDFS/gender%20and%20macroeconomics.pdf |
| Intersex | Refers to people who naturally have biological traits which do not match what is typically identified as male or female. There are many different intersex variations. Some intersex people have XXY chromosomes, some have ambiguous genitalia or internal sex organs. Some intersex people have internal sex organs or hormones released during puberty which don’t match their genitalia. Being intersex is a naturally occurring variation in humans; it is not pathological. Being intersex is not linked to sexual orientation or gender identity; intersex people can have different sexual orientations and gender identities and expressions. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) | Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) usually consists of a pattern of assaultive and coercive behaviours, including physical, sexual and psychological attacks, as well as economic coercion, by a current or former intimate partner. It can occur within heterosexual or same-sex relationships and does not require sexual relations. Garcia-Moreno et al (2005) define intimate partner violence as “behaviour in an intimate relationship that causes physical, sexual or psychological harm, including physical aggression, sexual coercion, and psychological abuse and controlling behaviours". | https://www.svri.org/research-methods/definitions https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/publications/violence-against-women-key-terminology-knowvawdata |
| Intra-Household Allocation | The processes by which resources (more broadly including income and consumption goods, tasks, leisure, and investments in human capital) are allocated among individuals and the outcomes of those processes. Scores of studies have now reported that inequalities exist in the sharing of resources within the household, and that the pattern of distribution commonly demonstrates gender bias. There is considerable evidence from South Asia on inequalities by gender, age and birth order in the allocation of food and other consumption goods. A variety of practices result in some females consuming a lower quantity and quality of food, beyond adjustments for body weight or activity rates. (Kabeer 1991). | http://www1.aucegypt.edu/src/macroeconomics/PDFS/gender%20and%20macroeconomics.pdf |
| Lesbian | A woman who is sexually and/or emotionally attracted to other women | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| LGBT | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| LGBT*IQ | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans*, Intersex, and Queer and/or Questioning. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| LGBTIQA+/LGBTQ+ | Adding a “+” to the acronym is an acknowledgement that there are non-cisgender and non-straight identities which are not included in the acronym. This is a shorthand or umbrella term for all people who have non-normative gender identity or sexual orientation. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| LGBTIQAPD | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual and/or Ally, Pansexual, and Demi-sexual | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| LGBTQIA | Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, and Asexual and/or Ally | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Marital Rape | Sexual intercourse forced on a woman by her husband, knowingly against her will. See also 'Sexual Violence'. | https://www.svri.org/research-methods/definitions https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/publications/violence-against-women-key-terminology-knowvawdata |
| Maternity Leave / Pregnancy Leave | Employment-protected leave of absence for employed women directly around the time of childbirth(or, in some countries, adoption). The ILO convention on maternity leave stipulates the period of leave should be at least 14 weeks. In most countries, beneficiaries may combine pre-with post-birth leave; in some countries, a short period of pre-birth leave is compulsory, as is a period following birth. Almost all OECD countries have public income support payments tied to maternity leave. In some countries (for example, Australia, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway and Sweden),there is no separate regulation for (paid) maternity leave, with stipulations instead integrated into the parental leave scheme. | https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF2_1_Parental_leave_systems.pdf |
| Misgendering | An occurrence where a person is described or addressed using language that does not match their gender identity (GLHV, 2016). This can include the incorrect use of pronouns (she/he/they),familial titles (father, sister, uncle) and, at times, other words that traditionally have gendered applications (pretty, handsome, etc.). It is best to ask a person, at a relevant moment, what words they like to use. | https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/lgbtiq-communities |
| MSM/WSW | Men who have sex with men/women who have sex with women. This is used to distinguish sexual behaviour from sexual identities. Someone can identify as straight and have sex with people of the same gender. This is a term that is most often used in the field of public health and HIV/AIDS education, prevention, and research. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| MtF/M2F | Male-to-female. An Mtf/M2F transgender person is someone who was assigned male at birth but identifies on the feminine side of the gender spectrum (e.g. identifies as a transwoman, a woman, or as feminine). | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Nonbinary and Genderqueer | These terms are actively debated within the LGBTIQ+ community. Both terms are similar in scope. Non-binary refers to people whose gender identity falls outside of the gender binary (i.e. either male/man or female/woman) and was coined as a descriptive term, used to describe experiences that fall outside of the binary gender model which undergirds much of society. Genderqueer refers to people who have a non-normative or queer gender. Genderqueer is often used to refer to people who reject labels and conformity to specific gender norms. Non-binary tends to be more of an umbrella term, which encompasses genderqueer people, along with other non-binary genders. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Pansexual | Often referred to as “Pan”, this is a term used to describe a person who is sexually, romantically, and/or emotionally attracted to people regardless of their sex or gender identity. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Parental and Home Care Leave Available to Mothers | Covers all weeks of employment-protected parental and home care leave that can be used by the mother. This includes any weeks that are an individual entitlement or that are reserved for the mother, and those that are a sharable or family entitlement. It excludes any weeks of parental leave that are reserved for the exclusive use of the father. | https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF2_1_Parental_leave_systems.pdf |
| Parental Leave | Employment-protected leave of absence for employed parents, which is often supplementary to specific maternity and paternity leave periods, and frequently, but not in all countries, follows the period of maternity leave. Entitlements to parental leave itself are often individual (i.e. each parent has their own entitlement),but entitlements to public income support during parental leave are frequently family-based, meaning that only one parent can claim income support at any one time (except for a short period after childbirth). In some countries, certain periods of parental leave are reserved for use only by the mother or father and cannot be transferred; in others (such as Austria and Germany),‘bonus’ paid weeks are offered if both parents use a certain portion of the family entitlement. Assuming that the family wishes to maximize the total length of leave on offer, this implies that a certain number of weeks are effectively ‘reserved’ for fathers or the ‘second’ parent. | https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF2_1_Parental_leave_systems.pdf |
| Paternity Leave | Employment-protected leave of absence for employed fathers at or in the first few months after childbirth. Paternity leave is not stipulated by international convention. In general, periods of paternity leave are much shorter than periods of maternity leave. Because of their short length, workers on paternity leave often continue to receive full wage payments. In some countries (e.g. Iceland),father-specific leave entitlements are part of the parental leave scheme, rather than a separate right. | https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/PF2_1_Parental_leave_systems.pdf |
| Patriarchy | Social system in which men hold the greatest power, leadership roles, privilege, moral authority and access to resources and land, including in the family. Most modern societies are patriarchies | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Patriarchy | The manifestation and institutionalization of male dominance against women and children in families and the extension of this dominance against women in society. Patriarchal sites where men have the power include all relevant institutions of society (legal, economic, religious, family, culture, etc). Patriarchy institutionalizes male privileges in these same major institutions and is based on the control of women’s productive and reproductive abilities. | http://www.ipsnews.net/publications/keygenderconcepts.pdf |
| Practical Gender Needs and Strategic Gender Interests | A two-part typology developed by Caroline Moser (1993) with Practical Gender Needs (PGNs) and Strategic Gender Interests (SGIs). PGNs are those needs that have been identified by women within their socially defined roles as a response to an immediate perceived necessity (e.g., inadequacies in living conditions such as water provision, healthcare, and employment). They do not challenge gender divisions of labour and women's subordinate position in society. In contrast, Strategic Gender Interests (SGIs) vary by context and are identified by women as a result of their subordinate social status. They tend to challenge gender divisions of labour power and control, as well as traditionally defined norms and roles (e.g., legal rights, domestic violence, equal wages, and women's control over their bodies). | https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/Pnadl089.pdf |
| Primary Carer | The person who most meets the child's needs, including feeding, dressing, bathing and otherwise supervising the child in an age-appropriate manner. For a baby particularly, this role normally requires intensive physical involvement on an ongoing basis. See also Secondary Carer. | https://wgea.gov.au/ |
| Production / Productive Labour | This includes the production of goods and services for income or subsistence. It is this work which is mainly recognised and valued as work by individuals and societies, and which is most commonly included in national economic statistics. Both women and men perform productive work, but not all of this is valued or rewarded in the same way. See also Reproduction / Reproductive Labour | Gender Equity, Diversity and Social Inclusion Resource Book (UNE / ACIAR) |
| Pronouns (Gender) | these refer to how a person chooses to publicly express their gender identity through the use of a pronoun, whether it is a gender-specific or a gender-neutral pronoun (GLHV, 2016),in languages which use gendered pronouns, such as English. This can include the more traditional he or she, as well as gender-neutral pronouns such as they, their, ze, hir and others | Adapted from https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/lgbtiq-communities |
| Psychological violence/abuse | ‘Psychological violence’ (often also referred to as ‘emotional violence’) refers to any act or omission that damages the self-esteem, identity, or development of the individual. It includes, but is not limited to, humiliation, threatening loss of custody of children, forced isolation from family or friends, threatening to harm the individual or someone they care about, repeated yelling or degradation, inducing fear through intimidating words or gestures, controlling behaviour, and the destruction of possessions. | https://www.svri.org/research-methods/definitions https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/publications/violence-against-women-key-terminology-knowvawdata |
| QPOC/QTPOC | Queer People of Colour and Queer and/or Trans People of Colour. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Queer | Queer is often used as an umbrella term referring to anyone who is not straight and not cisgender. Cisgender people are people whose gender identity and expression matches the sex they were assigned at birth. Historically the term queer was used as a slur against LGBTQIA people, but in recent years it has been reclaimed by LGBTIQ communities. However, some LGBTIQA people still find the term offensive. Queer is also often used as a broad rejection of labels. In this context, this could be a rejection of any type of label, but most often refers to a rejection of labels for gender and sexual orientation. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Questioning | This term refers to someone who is not sure how they identify. Someone can be questioning their sexual orientation and/or their gender identity. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| QUILTBAG | Queer and/or Questioning, Undecided, Intersex, Lesbian, Trans*, Asexual, Two-Spirit, Bisexual and/or Allied and Gay and/or Gender Queer | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Rainbow Family | A family where at least one parent identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, gender diverse, intersex, non-binary, queer or asexual (LGBTIQA+). Rainbow families include same-sex families and gender-diverse families. | https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/family-diversity/rainbow-same-sex-families/rainbow-families |
| Rape | See 'Sexual Violence' | |
| Reproduction / Reproductive Labour | This encompasses the care and maintenance of the household and its members, such as cooking, washing, cleaning, nursing, bearing children and looking after them, building and maintaining shelter. This work is necessary, yet it is rarely considered of the same value as productive work. It is normally unpaid and is not counted in conventional economic statistics. It is mostly done by women. See also Production / Productive Labour; See also Care Work. | Gender Equity, Diversity and Social Inclusion Resource Book (UNE / ACIAR) |
| Reproductive Labour Tax | The requirement imposed on women to discharge obligations to family maintenance before presenting themselves on the labour market. This obligation, paid in labour time and commitment, functions in the same way as a money tax, because it reduces money wages conventionally paid to women for equivalent work. For example, in developing economies, female agricultural workers are, by tradition, paid a lower wage than males, even in the same or more arduous tasks. Traditional explanations allude to women's lower reservation wage, that is founded on their lower mobility because of family obligations, and reduced scope for extending their job search. The tax does not enable women to demand a higher wage, because, under conditions of labour availability, women are price takers, not price makers in the market. This concept has been used as a shorthand to refer to the inequality in the terms of trade between menus and women's labour. It is important because it offers a theoretical structural link between prices and conditions of non-monetised (domestic) and monetised (market) labour. See Reproductive Sector, Unpaid Labour. | http://www1.aucegypt.edu/src/macroeconomics/PDFS/gender%20and%20macroeconomics.pdf |
| Reproductive rights and sexual and reproductive health | Reproductive rights include the rights of all individuals and couples to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children, and to have the information and means to do so. Further, decisions concerning reproduction should be made free from discrimination, coercion and violence. These services are essential for all people, married and unmarried, including adolescents and youth. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Reproductive Sector | See 'Reproductive Labour' | |
| Resources | Defined broadly to include not only access, but also future claims, to both material and human and social resources. See also Empowerment. | Kabeer, N. 1999. Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women's Empowerment. Development and change, 30, 435-464 |
| Restricted Civil Liberties | Captures discriminatory laws and practices that restrict women’s access to public space, their political voice and their participation in all aspects of public life. This includes a lack of freedom of movement, the inability to vote or run for election, and negative attitudes toward women as public figures or as leaders. Highlights the importance of women’s participation in community actions and public decision making for a range of development outcomes such as governance, health and education. Includes: Access to public space; Political quotas; Political Representation; Workplace Rights. See GID-DB Variables. | https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/restricted-civil-liberties/ |
| Restricted Physical Integrity | Captures social institutions that limit women’s and girls’ control over their bodies, that increase women’s vulnerability, and that normalise attitudes toward gender-based violence. This includes formal and informal laws, norms and practices that fail to protect women’s physical integrity and reproductive autonomy and that allow violence and female genital mutilation. Restricted physical integrity due to gender-based violence and to a lack of reproductive autonomy has serious impacts on health outcomes for women and their children and on economic and social development indicators by increasing women’s vulnerability to poverty. Includes: Attitudes towards violence against women Prevalence of domestic violence Laws addressing domestic violence Laws addressing rape Laws addressing sexual harassment Female genital mutilation Reproductive autonomy Abortion. See Discriminatory Family Code; GID-DB Variables. | https://www.wikigender.org/wiki/gid-db-variables-restricted-physical-integrity/ |
| SAAB | Sex Assigned at Birth; this is a phrase used to intentionally recognize a person’s assigned sex at birth. Sometimes “designated sex at birth” (DSAB) is used instead. AFAM or “Assigned Female at Birth” and AMAB or “Assigned Male at Birth” are more specific variations of SAAB. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Secondary Carer | In many families, the role of secondary carer often falls to a father or partner in a couple. The secondary carer provides additional support, but is not the main carer of the child. See also Primary Carer. | https://wgea.gov.au/ |
| Sex | Describes the biological differences between men and women. | |
| (Sexual) Double Standard | Refers to the conceptualization that men and women are judged differently relative to the same behaviours. This implies that society holds different standards for what behaviours are appropriate for men and these differ from the behaviours that are viewed as appropriate for women. Perceptions that individuals have as to what is appropriate behaviour for men and women are shaped by social norms. For example, typically women are judged more negatively for engaging in various types of sexual behaviours and men are viewed more positively for participation in the same sexual activities. Consequently, men are allowed greater sexual freedom and agency. | Adapted from: https://atlasofscience.org/is-there-a-sexual-double-standard/ |
| Sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) | This can be understood as the right for all, whether young or old, women, men or transgender, straight, gay, lesbian or bisexual, HIV positive or negative, to make choices regarding their own sexuality and reproduction, providing they respect the rights of others to bodily integrity. This definition also includes the right to access information and services needed to support these choices and optimize health | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Sexual Violence / Abuse | Refers to any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act, or unwanted sexual comments or acts to traffic, that are directed against a person’s sexuality using coercion by anyone, regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including at home and at work. 'Rape' is the term that is commonly used for the first type of sexual violence mentioned above (forced/coerced intercourse). Rape can be defined as non-consensual sexual penetration, however slight, of any part of the body of the victim with a sexual organ, or of the anal or genital opening of the victim with any object or any other part of the body. The invasion is committed by force, or by threat of force or coercion, such as that caused by fear of violence, duress, detention, psychological oppression or abuse of power, against such person or another person, or by taking advantage of a coercive environment, or committed against a person incapable of giving genuine consent. | https://www.svri.org/research-methods/definitions https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/publications/violence-against-women-key-terminology-knowvawdata |
| Sexuality | A fundamental aspect of human physiology. It encompasses sex, gender identities and roles, sexual orientation and reproduction. It is not always experienced/expressed openly and in a direct manner. It is influenced by the interaction of physical, psychological, social, economic, political, cultural, ethical, legal, historical, religious and spiritual factors. | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htmhttps://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| SGL | Same Gender Loving; this term is sometimes used by members of the African-American or Black community to express a non-straight sexual-orientation without relying on terms and symbols of European descent. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Social Inclusion | Concerns the ‘participation, equal opportunity, and empowerment. The ability to participate in society, free from discrimination and disadvantage is enshrined as a basic human right in the Universal Declaration. The World Bank defines it as the removal of institutional barriers, and the enhancement of incentives to increase the access of diverse individuals and groups to development | http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/conceptsandefinitions.htmhttps://globaldiversitypractice.com/what-is-diversity-inclusion/ http://www.caaws.ca/gender-equity-101/what-is-gender-equity/ https://gdc.unicef.org/resource/oecd-toolkit-mainstreaming-and-implementing-gender-equality https://bangkok.unesco.org/content/gender-education-network-asia-pacific-genia-toolkit-promoting-gender-equality-education |
| SOGI | Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; This is an inclusive acronym used to talk about both sexual orientation (the type of sexual, romantic, and emotional attraction that one has the capacity to feel for others) and gender identity (the internal perception of one’s gender and how they label themselves, based on how they align or do not align with what they understand gender to be). SOGI is most often used in the United Nations and in the context of international human rights. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Son Preference / Bias | The practice of preferring male offspring over female offspring, most often in poor communities, that view girl children as liabilities and boy children as assets to the family. This can result in families instilling superiority in male children and inferiority in female children, manifesting in such actions as sending boys to school, especially to higher levels, and not girls or household practices where boys are fed better than girls. The extreme manifestation of son preference is female feticide and sex-selected abortions; in some countries, this has resulted in skewed population sex ratios, with attendant problems such as increased trafficking of females and greater prevalence of sex workers. (See: gender-biased sex selection.) | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Structural Discrimination (e.g. Structural Sexism) | A form of discrimination resulting from policies, despite apparently being neutral, that have disproportionately negative effects on certain societal groups. | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Substantive Equality | This focuses on the outcomes and impacts of laws and policies. Substantive equality goes far beyond creating formal legal equality for women (where all are equal under the law) and means that governments are responsible for the impact of laws. This requires governments to tailor legislation to respond to the realities of women’s lives. Striving for substantive equality also places a responsibility on governments to implement laws, through gender-responsive governance and functioning justice systems that meet women’s needs. Substantive equality is a concept expressed in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). It recognizes that because of historic discrimination, women do not start on an equal footing to men | https://www.unicef.org/rosa/media/1761/file/Gender glossary of terms and concepts .pdf |
| Trans* | The asterisk next to trans refers to all of the identities within the gender identity spectrum, other than people who identify with the gender that they were assigned at birth. Including the asterisk after trans denotes a special effort to include all non-binary, genderqueer, and gender non-conforming identities. Trans (without the asterisk) is a shortened and more casual version of transgender. Trans (without the asterisk) is also often used to describe people whose gender identity and expression does not match their assigned gender at birth. Transgender is usually used to describe people whose gender identity and expression does not match their assigned gender at birth, and their gender identity and expression is either on the masculine side of the gender spectrum (e.g. identifies as a transman, a man, or as masculine) or the feminine side of the gender spectrum (e.g. identifies as a transwoman, a woman, or as feminine). The gender spectrum is a way of describing gender without conforming to the gender binary. This allows for the inclusion of gender identities besides male and female. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Transgender | used to describe someone whose gender identity or expression does not conform to what is expected based on the sex they were assigned at birth. Gender expression is the behaviour, mannerisms, interests, and appearance a person uses to express their gender in a particular cultural context. The term transgender encompasses many different gender identities (more on this later in this posting),and transgender people have different sexual orientations, some may identify as straight, while others may identify as LGB. | https://www.outrightinternational.org |
| Transitioning | A series of processes that some transgender people may undergo in order to live more fully as their true gender. This typically includes social transition, such as changing name and pronouns, medical transition, which may include hormone therapy or gender affirming surgeries, and legal transition, which may include changing legal name and sex on government identity documents. Transgender people may choose to undergo some, all or none of these processes. | https://www.hrc.org/resources/glossary-of-terms |
| Transphobia | Refers to negative beliefs, prejudices and stereotypes that exist about transgender/trans and gender diverse people. | https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/lgbtiq-communities |
| Unpaid Care Work | Refers to all unpaid services provided within a household for its members, including care of persons, housework and voluntary community work (Elson, 2000). These activities are considered work, because theoretically one could pay a third person to perform them. (Unpaid = the individual performing this activity is not remunerated; Care = the activity provides what is necessary for the health, well-being, maintenance; Work = the activity involves mental or physical effort and is costly in terms of time resources.) See also Care Work. | https://www.oecd.org/dev/development-gender/Unpaid_care_work.pdf |
| Unpaid Labour | Work that produces goods or services but is unremunerated. It includes domestic labour, subsistence production and the unpaid production of items for market. Not to be confused with unpaid family labour, a term used in some developing country statistical agencies as a category to cover production of marketed goods in the home or on the farm without pay, as in home-based industries and rural production. Strict neoclassical approaches reject the term 'unpaid', since under neoclassical assumptions the decision to supply labour is taken voluntarily and rationally, in expectation of a return whether in kind or cash. However, the term is analytically useful in the case of the performance of domestic labour because its product, the maintenance of the labour force, is a benefit to the economy as a whole, but is not paid for by the economy as a whole. The macroeconomy is itself benefiting from provision of a public good; it is a 'free rider' at the expense of women, who are the main labour force in the unpaid sector | http://www1.aucegypt.edu/src/macroeconomics/PDFS/gender%20and%20macroeconomics.pdf |
| Violence Against Women (VAW) / Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) | Violence against women (VAW) is defined by the United Nations as ‘any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women (and girls),including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or private life.’ It encompasses, but is not limited to: physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other traditional practices harmful to women; non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation; physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere; trafficking in women and forced prostitution; and physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the state, wherever it occurs. | https://www.svri.org/research-methods/definitions https://asiapacific.unfpa.org/en/publications/violence-against-women-key-terminology-knowvawdata |