Measuring the prevalence of violence against women across the EU - country differences re-assessed

• In Event: Data collection experiences of gender-based violence: regional, national and local perspectives

Abstract

Victimization surveys measuring the prevalence of violence against women in the EU have shown rates that vary between countries. Most recent data examining this comes from the EU gender-based violence survey, with first results published by Eurostat, EU Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) and the European Institute for Gender Equality in 2024. The presentation will examine these latest data to analyse what some have called the ‘Nordic paradox’, referring to higher rates of violence measured in some of the countries that simultaneously score high on measures of gender equality, as found based on the results of the first EU-wide survey on violence against women carried out by FRA in 2014. The results demonstrate that variations of countries’ prevalence depend on the type and severity of violence, while also having implications to choice of future survey data collection methods.

Author

• Sami Nevala, European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA)