For additional definitions and related terms, see the Global 50/50 Glossary.
Accountability refers to the ways in which individuals and communities hold themselves to their goals and actions, and acknowledge the values and groups to which they are responsible. Key principles of accountability include monitoring, review and remedial action. Upholding these principles requires independent, transparent and participatory mechanisms to be in place.
Courts, tribunals, and similar bodies that make binding legal decisions at global or regional level.
The collective body of judges in a court.
Independent bodies that monitor, investigate, or advise on justice and human rights issues. Commissions are typically standing bodies with a formal legal basis and institutional mandates, while expert mechanisms are usually independent, expert-led bodies that provide thematic or issue-specific analysis and recommendations.
The representation of varied identities and differences (gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, tribe, caste, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity, etc.), collectively and as individuals.
A way of working that suits an employee’s needs. Different modes of flexible working exist, including: job-sharing, working from home and telecommuting, part-time working, compressed hours, flexitime, annualised hours, staggered hours and phased retirement. In some countries there is a legal right to request flexible working arrangements and organisations are required to provide a “sound” reason for any denial of flexible working requests.
Definition from: UK Government. Flexible Working. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/flexible-working [Accessed: 20 February 2019].
Organisations that provide financial support for initiatives advancing gender justice in the law and justice sector.
Gender refers to the roles, behaviours, activities, and attributes that a given society at a given time considers appropriate for men and women and people with non-binary gender identities. In addition to the social attributes and opportunities associated with being male and female and the relationships between women and men and girls and boys, gender also refers to the relations between women and those between men. These attributes, opportunities and relationships are socially constructed and are learned through socialisation processes. They are context/time-specific and changeable. Gender determines what is expected, allowed and valued in a woman or a man in a given context. In most societies there are differences and inequalities between women and men in responsibilities assigned, activities undertaken, access to and control over power and resources, as well as decision-making opportunities. Gender is part of the broader context of sociocultural power dynamics, as are other important criteria for sociocultural analysis including class, disability status, race, poverty level, ethnic group, sexual orientation, age, etc.
Adapted from World Health Organization (WHO). Available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/gender#tab=tab_1 [Accessed 5 October 2026].
Gender equality refers to the achievement of equal rights, access, opportunities, treatment, and outcomes for men, women, girls and boys, and people of all gender identities. It is based on the principle that people of all gender identities should enjoy the same protections and opportunities. Advancing gender equality requires the removing discriminatory gender norms, roles and barriers, and ensuring fair participation and freedom from discrimination, in all areas of public and private life – including the workplace.
Gender inequality refers to unequal rights, access, opportunities, treatment, safety, and voice, as well as unequal outcomes in representation and resources, between men, women, girls and boys (or people of all gender identities?). These inequalities are upheld and reproduced by gender norms, roles, and power relations. Gender inequality is reflected in disparities such as pay gaps, unequal access to education or healthcare, under-representation in leadership, and unequal legal protections.
Gender injustice refers to the laws, policies, institutions, and social norms that produce or reinforce discrimination, violence, exclusion, and unequal power on the basis of gender. It exists where people are denied safety, agency, participation, and access to rights, resources, opportunities, and decision-making because of their position in gender relations.
Gender justice is about creating a world where people of all genders can live safely, participate equally, and thrive, by changing the systems and norms that create inequality and limit opportunity.
Global 50/50 works to advance gender justice. Gender justice means creating the conditions in which people of all genders can live safely, participate fully, and thrive, regardless of their position in gender relations. It recognises diverse gender identities and experiences, and seeks the fair and equitable distribution of rights, resources, opportunities, and decision-making power, alongside equality and non-discrimination in law and in practice.
Grounded in international human rights law (including the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, core UN treaties, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women), gender justice requires more than formal legal equality. As both a goal and an approach, gender justice requires transforming the laws, policies, institutions, and social norms that produce or reinforce discrimination, violence, exclusion, and inequality, including patriarchy and other intersecting systems of power and disadvantage. It advances the universal rights of all people; ensures inclusive leadership and meaningful participation in decision-making; protects choice and agency; and commits to monitoring progress and holding decision-makers and power-holders accountable.
Gender justice in the workplace is the realisation of substantive and transformative equality in employment, ensuring that all worker – particularly women and gender-diverse people, and those facing intersecting forms of discrimination – can access, participate in, and advance within the workplace on equal terms, and can effectively claim remedies when their rights are violated.
Gender equality and gender justice are closely related, but they are not interchangeable. Gender justice refers to the principle that all people should enjoy the same rights, opportunities, and treatment regardless of gender. Gender equality focuses on outcomes and parity (such as equal pay, equal representation, or equal legal rights).
Gender justice is concerned with how equality is realised, enforced, and sustained, especially in contexts of structural inequality. It recognises that identical treatment under the law is often insufficient where historical discrimination, power imbalances, and intersecting forms of disadvantage exist. Gender justice therefore prioritises substantive and transformative equality, requiring justice systems to actively identify and dismantle discriminatory laws, practices, and norms, and to provide effective remedies when rights are violated.
The work of Global 50/50, including Global Justice 50/50, contributes to the goal and approach of gender justice through accountability and advocacy. As part of that approach, our core variables measure and evaluate every organisation’s commitments and policies to promote gender equality, non-discrimination and fair workplaces for all, and we analyse our findings within a framework of gender justice.
45-55% women. In current international practice, gender parity is increasingly recognised as 50%, but the broader range used by Global 50/50 is intended to allow for practical variation in representation.
The gender pay gap is the difference in the average hourly wage of all women and men across a workforce, as monitored by Sustainable Development Goal indicator 8.5.1. If women hold more of the less well paid posts within an organisation than men, the gender pay gap is usually bigger.
The gender pay gap is not the same as unequal pay which is paying men and women differently for performing the same (or similar) work. Unequal pay is prohibited in some 64 countries, seven of which include those countries where nearly 90% of the GH5050 2019 sample of organisations is headquartered.
A culture of belonging built by actively inviting the contribution and participation of all people, and striving to create balance in the face of power differences.
Formal organisations established by treaty or other international agreement between states, each with its own legal personality and a mandate to carry out functions, including in relation to justice, human rights, or the rule of law, as agreed by its member governments.
Not-for-profit organisations working across countries to promote justice, human rights, or legal reform.
A legal expert or scholar who studies, interprets, and applies the law, often influencing legal thought, policy, or judicial practice.
For-profit private legal practices operating internationally, providing legal services and advocacy.
Membership-based organisations representing legal professionals and legal professional bodies, promoting professional standards, ethics, and the legal profession globally.
Leave generally available to mothers, designed to protect the health of the new mother and child, taken before, during and immediately after childbirth or adoption.
Leave available equally to mothers and fathers, as: (i) a non-transferable individual right (i.e. both parents have an entitlement to an equal amount of leave); (ii) an individual right that can be transferred to the other parent; or (iii) a family right that parents can divide between themselves as they choose (shared parental leave). May be available to both partners in same-sex relationships in some countries.
Definition from: International Network on Leave Policies and Research.
Leave generally available to fathers, usually taken shortly after the birth or adoption of the child.
The ability to influence and control material, human, intellectual and financial resources to achieve a desired outcome. Power is dynamic, played out in social, economic, and political relations between individuals and groups.
The senior official heading the court registry, responsible for overseeing its administration, managing staff and resources, and ensuring the effective and independent operation of the court in support of judicial functions.
The administrative organ of a court responsible for case management, judicial support, records, filings, and the provision of legal, logistical, and operational services necessary for the court’s functioning.
The processes by which leaders such as judges or commissioners are nominated, reviewed, elected, or appointed.
Sexual harassment is any unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature that might reasonably be expected or be perceived to cause offense or humiliation, when such conduct interferes with work, is made a condition of employment or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment. Sexual harassment may occur in the workplace or in connection with work. While typically involving a pattern of conduct, sexual harassment may take the form of a single incident. In assessing the reasonableness of expectations or perceptions, the perspective of the person who is the target of the conduct shall be considered.
From UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (2018). UN System Model Policy on Sexual Harassment.
An analytically constructed grouping of organisations within the global justice system, categorised according to shared organisational characteristics, mandates, and/or functions.
How courts and commissions operate internally, including decision-making, governance, staff selection, and policy implementation.
