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 Gender Equality 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 European Union 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 through the EU-wide Survey on Violence against Women.

The results of the Gender Equality Index show that there have been visible, albeit marginal, improvements between 2005 and 2012 in the domains covered by the Gender Equal­ity Index. With an overall score of 52.9 out of 100 in 2012, the EU remains only halfway towards equality, having risen from 51.3 in 2005. Progress needs to increase its pace if the EU is to fulfil its ambitions and meet the Europe 2020 targets.

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