Glossary: terms to expand your knowledge

Term Definition Source
Gender ‘Social attributes and opportunities associated with being female and male and to the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, as well as to the relations between women and those between men.’ EIGE
Sex ‘Biological and physiological characteristics that define humans as female or male. These sets of biological characteristics are not mutually exclusive, as there are individuals who possess both, but these characteristics tend to differentiate humans as females or males.’ EIGE
Gender discrimination ‘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.’ EIGE
Gender equality ‘Equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities of women and men and girls and boys. Equality does not mean that women and men will become the same but that women’s and men’s rights, responsibilities and opportunities will not depend on whether they are born female or male. Gender equality implies that the interests, needs and priorities of both women and men are taken into consideration, thereby recognising the diversity of different groups of women and men. Gender equality is not a women’s issue but should concern and fully engage men as well as women. Equality between women and men is seen both as a human rights issue and as a precondition for, and indicator of, sustainable people-centred development.’ EIGE
Gender identity ‘Each person’s deeply felt internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the sex assigned at birth, including the personal sense of the body (which may involve, if freely chosen, modification of bodily appearance or function by medical, surgical or other means) and other expressions of gender, including dress, speech and mannerisms.’ EIGE
Gender-inclusive language ‘Using gender-inclusive language means speaking and writing in a way that does not discriminate against a particular sex, social gender or gender identity, and does not perpetuate gender stereotypes.’ ‘Gender-inclusive language refers to language that places both women and men at the same level, and which does not convey gender stereotypes.’ UN
UN Women
Gender-neutral language ‘Language that is not gender-specific and which considers people in general, with no reference to women and men.’ EIGE
Gender-responsive language ‘Gender-responsive communication is both an inclusive and a strategic tool for gender mainstreaming and a must-have skill for all development practitioners. It is a tool through which women and men are equally and fairly represented, benefit equally from resources and opportunities, and perform equal roles – a tool where gender balance is taken into account during decision-making processes and where stereotypes are questioned.’ United Nations Development Programme
Gender-sensitive language ‘Gender-sensitive language is gender equality made manifestthrough language. Gender equality in language is attained whenwomen and men – and those who do not conform to the binarygender system – are addressed through language as persons ofequal value, dignity, integrity and respect.’ EIGE
Gender-transformative language ‘Gender transformative communication aims to change behaviour,attitudes and beliefs about gender, and to challenge powerimbalances. It counters discriminatory gender norms throughimages, language or evidence. It does more than just makepeople gender-aware: It fosters real transformation.’ Friedrich Ebert Stiftung
Intersectional discrimination ‘Discrimination that takes place on the basis of several personalgrounds or characteristics/identities, which operate and interactwith each other at the same time in such a way as to beinseparable.’ EIGE
Intersectionality ‘Analytical tool for studying, understanding and responding tothe ways in which sex and gender intersect with other personalcharacteristics/identities, and how these intersections contributeto unique experiences of discrimination.’ EIGE
LGBTQI+ ‘Umbrella term used to denote individuals from the lesbian, gay,bisexual, trans and queer/questioning community.’ EIGE
Marginalised groups ‘Different groups of people within a given culture, context and history at risk of being subjected to multiple discrimination due to the interplay of different personal characteristics or grounds’. EIGE
Non-binary ‘An adjective describing people whose gender identity falls outside the male–female binary. Non-binary is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide variety of gender experiences, including people with a specific gender identity other than man or woman, people who identify as two or more genders (bigender or pan/ polygender) and people who don’t identify with any gender (agender).’
Note, some non-binary people prefer a gender-neutral name or pronouns such as they/them rather than he/him or she/her (see ‘Personal pronouns’).		 International Organization for Migration
Non-sexist language ‘Avoidance of both an ambiguous generic masculine gender in the grammatical forms of nouns and discriminatory expressions which describe women and men in terms of their physical appearance or the qualities and gender roles attributed to their sex.’ EIGE
Personal pronouns ‘Pronouns are words we use to talk about ourselves (“I”), to someone (“you”) or about other people (“she”, “he”, “they”, etc.). In English, “he” and “she”, called third-person pronouns, are gendered, while the singular “they” is gender-neutral.’ International Organization for Migration
Sexual orientation ‘Each person’s profound emotional, affectional and sexual attraction to, and intimate and/or sexual relations with, individuals of a different gender or the same gender or more than one gender.’ European Commission