Strong institutional mechanisms (i.e. national structures and processes for the promotion of gender equality) are crucial to progress in achieving gender equality.
EIGE has established a system for the regular monitoring of the state of institutional mechanisms for the promotion of gender equality in the EU Member States. This monitoring is based on four indicators adopted by the Council of the European Union for monitoring Area H of the Beijing Platform for Action, the foundation of gender equality policy today (three in 2006 and one in 2013)1. The latest data covering the situation in May 2024 is published on EIGE’s Gender Statistics Database. This data talk article presents key findings by country.
The strength of institutional mechanisms varies considerably between countries
Overall scores for institutional mechanisms vary considerably across the EU. Spain is the standout leader, with a score of 86 % (Figure 1), achieving the highest (or joint highest) score for each of the four underlying indicators (Figure 2 to Figure 5). Sweden (78 %) and Portugal (75 %) are the only other countries to score more than 70 %. At the other end of the scale, Poland scores 17 % and is the only country to score less than 30 % overall. Bulgaria, Slovenia, Latvia, Estonia and Cyprus all score below 40 %.
Source: EIGE, data collection on institutional mechanisms.
The fact that half of Member States (14) score less than 50 % overall highlights persistent limitations in the national mechanisms for promoting gender equality. The specific reasons for these vary across countries, but the underlying indicators can give an indication of where improvements are most needed. On average, countries scored least for indicator H3 (gender mainstreaming) (34 %), implying that this area needs the most investment.
Visible commitments to gender equality need to be backed up by greater accountability
Progress in gender equality demands, as a starting point, commitment from governments to ensure that the relevant people and structures have adequate power and capacity to act. To be effective, however, such visible commitments need to be backed up by clearly documented strategies and action plans, with adequate budgets and appropriate monitoring and evaluation processes that ensure accountability.
Indicator H1 measures this commitment and accountability. High scores are achieved by Spain (87 %), Portugal (80 %), Croatia (74 %) and Denmark (73 %). All of these countries have adopted a national gender equality action plan, which is costed and contains relevant indicators that are regularly monitored. On the other end of the scale, Poland, Ireland and Latvia all score less than 50 %, and a further eight countries score less than 60 % (Figure 2). This implies room for improvement for governmental accountability for transformative gender equality policy in these countries.
Gender equality bodies need more resources to effectively carry out their functions
The structures established to promote and ensure gender equality need to be adequately resourced to be effective. Indicator H2 assesses the human resources of both governmental and independent gender equality bodies. Greece, Spain, France and Sweden all score 88 % of the maximum possible for this indicator (Figure 3)2, but the average score is 47 % and around a third of Member States score no more than 25 %. This suggests that many gender equality bodies are under-resourced.
Five countries score the maximum possible for a well-resourced governmental gender equality body (DE, EL, ES, FR, SE).
Five countries (BE, ES, IT, PT, FI) have an independent equality body dedicated to gender equality alone. In all other countries, the body operates under a wider equalities remit, allocating a certain proportion of resources specifically to gender equality. No countries achieve the maximum score, though nine score 75 %, which contributes 37.5 % to indicator H2 overall (BE, BG, IE, EL, ES, FR, HU, NL, SE).
Commitment to gender mainstreaming needs to be implemented through the use of related tools
Achieving full gender equality requires action across the board. The mainstreaming of gender-related issues into all areas of policy is therefore a fundamental precursor to progress. Yet gender mainstreaming efforts remain uneven across the EU. The average score for indicator H3 (gender mainstreaming) is 34 %. Spain, the highest scorer, reaches 71 %.
Nominal policy commitments to gender mainstreaming do not necessarily result in its meaningful implementation. While 14 Member States report a legal obligation to implement gender mainstreaming, 8 of these score no more than 25 % for the use of gender mainstreaming methods and tools such as gender impact assessments and gender budgeting3. The use of gender budgeting, in particular, remains limited, with only five Member States – Belgium, Spain, Italy, Austria and Sweden – having a legal obligation that is routinely applied to the national budget and all ministerial budgets.
Capacity to deliver gender-transformative policy can be boosted by better statistics
Statistics providing evidence of existing gender inequalities are vital to give information about where action is needed and the extent of the progress being made. Legislative obligations to collect data disaggregated by sex are helpful to ensure the production of gender statistics. The key to progress is to ensure that the data produced are comprehensive, widely shared to raise awareness and, most importantly, used effectively to guide policy.
Indicator H4 considers national commitments to produce gender statistics and to share these, and the information they convey, in a way that is readily accessible to a wide audience.
Spain and Sweden both score the maximum possible for this indicator, with Germany, Portugal, the Netherlands, France and Slovakia also scoring over 80 %. In contrast, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Malta, Estonia, Poland and Cyprus all score 33 % or less for indicator H4.
About the data
EIGE’s data collection on institutional mechanisms relies on information compiled by nominated representatives of national authorities, each supported by a national researcher with expertise in the area of gender equality. The data provided is subject to a comprehensive quality assurance process to ensure that the information for each country is relevant and reliable, and adheres to common guidelines to facilitate statistical comparison.
Overall ratings for the strength of institutional mechanisms in each country are based on the average of the scores for each of four underlying indicators (H1 to H4), each expressed as a percentage of the maximum possible so that it has equal weight in the average.
Further reading
Methodological report for the collection of 2024 data on institutional mechanisms
EIGE’s work in monitoring Area H of the Beijing Platform for Action
Footnotes
1Updates to the original indicators are documented in the report from EIGE’s collection of 2021 data. See EIGE’s report The pathway to progress: strengthening effective structures for gender equality and gender mainstreaming in the EU.
2From this group, Greece and Sweden are two of just six Member States to have multiple governmental bodies, which may partly explain their above-average level of resourcing.
3Fourteen states have a legal commitment to gender mainstreaming (BE, BG, DK, EE, EL, ES, FR, HR, LT, AT, PT, RO, SI, FI), but eight have scores of 25 % or less for sub-indicator H3c, on methods and tools (BG, EE, EL, FR, LT, RO, SI, FI).