Gender equality index 2015 : measuring gender equality in the European Union 2005-2012 : main findings

Gender equality has been at the heart of European Union policymaking since the inclusion of the principle of equal pay in the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community in 1957. Despite the EU's persistent and longstanding engagement with gender equality, progress in the area remains limited. Aiming to support more effective policymaking at EU level, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) developed the Gender Equality Index, first proposed in the European Commission's roadmap for equality between women and men 2006-2010 and launched in 2013. The first Gender Equality Index revealed that the EU was only halfway towards reaching equality, demonstrating the need for further monitoring and more targeted gender‑equality policies. The Gender Equality Index provides a comprehensive measure of gender equality, tailored to fit the EU policy context. Following the importance of cohesion across EU Member States, the Index ensures that higher gender‑equality scores can only be obtained in societies where there are small gender gaps and high levels of achievement. The present update includes scores for 2005, 2010 and 2012, for the first time allowing for an assessment of the progress made in the pursuit of gender equality in the EU and individual Member States over time. Moreover, the present update makes a first attempt at populating the satellite domain of violence by providing a composite indicator of direct violence against women, based on the data on violence against women collected by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) through the EU‑wide survey on violence against women.