The methodology of the Gender Equality Index was updated in 2025. Comparing scores published before 2025 with the new ones is not reliable. Recalculated data for earlier years, where available, is included in the Gender Equality Index 2025 report.
Gender-based violence against women is rooted in historically unequal power relations between women and men, which leads to oppressive patterns of coercive control of men over women. It is the most pervasive gender inequality of our time, undermining women’s dignity and integrity, and imposing serious harm on families, communities and societies.
The European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has incorporated violence against women in its Gender Equality Index as a satellite domain. The index is a monitoring tool that provides a measure of the attainment of gender equality and assists in monitoring progress of gender equality across the EU over time.
Further information
Press release: Gender Equality Index 2017 - We cannot be silent about violence
Data on violence against women in the Gender Equality Index 2017
