Gender equality means equal rights, equal opportunities, equal responsibilities and equal treatment for men and women, in public and private life. It is important to stress that equality does not mean or pursue sameness, but only equality in rights, responsibilities and opportunities, whether we are born male or female. Gender equality should not be seen as a women’s issue alone, as it is equally relevant to men, their rights and opportunities. Gender equality can also be seen as a prerequisite for democracy and an important indicator of sustainable development.

De jure gender equality is a narrower concept than gender equality, and is primarily defined as the legally guaranteed equality of men and women, which does not necessarily mean that in practice the man and women can live equally, enjoy equal opportunities and receive equal treatment.

Equal sharing of domestic responsibilities means that women and men share all tasks and responsibilities that fall within the scope of domestic work. Equal sharing is very important as it is a condition leading to gender equality.

Gender roles are the social norms that are considered appropriate, desirable and expected for members of a particular gender. Gender roles are often associated with traditional understandings of gender, particularly those related to domestic work or access to finance and power. On the other hand, gender norms can change over time.

Gender norms are broader (social) expectations and standards that we internalise from a very early age in childhood, which guide us towards presumed appropriate behaviour and attitudes for men and women. Gender norms also have a major influence on gender stereotyping.

Work-life balance implies finding a balance between work and the lifestyle we have chosen (family, leisure, etc.). In order to promote gender equality and equal opportunities, it is essential to have a work-life balance that does not lead to a double or triple burden for women.

Hegemonic masculinity refers to all cultural norms that associate masculinity with power, success and economic achievement. Hegemonic masculinity is sometimes also referred to as toxic masculinity, because it refers to harmful patterns of masculinity that have a negative impact on both men and women, and it can even be referred to as the price of masculinity, which brings men many problems (including health) and causes harm.

Active fatherhood implies the equal involvement of men in the caring responsibilities of childcare and upbringing, and goes beyond the traditional stereotypical role of the man as the one who cares for children by working and supporting them financially outside the home. Instead, active fatherhood implies that fathers should also provide equal emotional support to their children.

According to the international definition adopted by the Council of Europe in a document recommended by the Committee of Ministers, sexism can be described as the expression of “historically unequal power relations” between men and women, leading to discrimination and preventing the full emancipation or advancement of women in society.

The gendered division of labour assumes that women and men do different jobs, and that the division is closely linked to their gender. In practice, this means that women do certain jobs because they are women, and at the same time this is the reason why men do not do the same jobs.

Care work provides care to those who need it: children, the sick, the elderly. Typically, because of traditional gender roles and the division of labour, it is mainly women who are in charge of care work.

The democratic deficit assumes the impact that a lower representation of women (and therefore a higher representation of men) has on the legitimacy of democracy.

Unpaid work implies the performance of very important work (socially useful and necessary – for example, care work and domestic work) for which no remuneration is provided. Unpaid work is unequally distributed between the sexes – women do a much higher amount of this type of work than men.