EIGEThe EIGE Gender Equality Glossary and Thesaurus is a specialized terminology resource developed by the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE), an EU agency based in Vilnius, Lithuania. It provides standardized definitions and a structured vocabulary for concepts related to gender equality, supporting consistent communication and understanding across EU institutions, member states, and candidate countries.
Background
The European Institute for Gender Equality was established in 2006 as a decentralized EU agency with the mandate to contribute to and strengthen the promotion of gender equality across the European Union. Recognizing the need for a common terminological framework, EIGE developed the Gender Equality Glossary and Thesaurus, publishing its initial set of concepts and definitions in 2016. The resource addresses a longstanding challenge in gender equality work: the inconsistent use and understanding of key terms across different national and institutional contexts.
Purpose & Scope
The glossary and thesaurus serves multiple purposes:
- Terminological standardization: Provides authoritative definitions for over 400 gender equality terms used in EU policy, research, and institutional contexts
- Multilingual access: Available in the official languages of EU member states and, more recently, in five additional languages of EU candidate countries and potential candidates (Albanian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Serbian, and Ukrainian)
- Structured browsing: Organized into domains and microthesauri that reflect the major areas of gender equality work
The scope covers a broad range of gender equality concepts including gender-based violence, gender mainstreaming, economic equality, political participation, health, education, and intersectionality.
Structure & Navigation
The thesaurus offers three access paths:
- A-Z Index: Alphabetical listing of all terms
- Browse: Navigation through hierarchically organized domains and microthesauri
- Search: Free-text search by word or phrase
Each term entry provides a definition, scope notes where applicable, and relationships to broader, narrower, and related terms following standard thesaurus conventions.
Serializations & Technical Formats
The thesaurus is available for download in SKOS/RDF format, making it suitable for integration with semantic web applications and linked data systems. The SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) encoding supports standard thesaurus relationships including broader/narrower terms and related terms.
Governance & Maintenance
EIGE maintains the glossary and thesaurus as part of its publications and resources portfolio. The original definitions were published in 2016, and the page acknowledges that some terms may need updating. EIGE is currently reviewing which terms require revision. The resource is managed through EIGE's Drupal-based web platform.
Notable Implementations
The EIGE Gender Equality Glossary and Thesaurus serves as a reference for EU institutions, national governments, researchers, and civil society organizations working on gender equality. It underpins EIGE's other data products, including the Gender Equality Index and the Gender Statistics Database. The multilingual translations support its use across the diverse linguistic landscape of EU member and candidate states.
Related Standards
The thesaurus is a standalone vocabulary specific to EIGE's mandate. It complements EIGE's broader data infrastructure, including the Gender Statistics Database and various gender mainstreaming toolkits.