Integrating a Gender Perspective into
Statistics
Haoyi Chen
Social and Housing Statistics Section
United Nations Statistics Division
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Outline
• Overview
– Integrating a gender perspective into official statistics
• What are gender statistics?
• How are gender statistics produced?
• Plan for developing gender statistics
– Results of the Global Survey on National
Programmes on Gender Statistics
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
What are gender statistics?
Gender statistics are defined as statistics that adequately
reflect differences and inequalities in the situation of
women and men in all areas of life (UN World’s Women 2005).
Gender statistics =
1 Data are collected and presented disaggregated by sex; +
2 Data are reflecting gender issues; +
3 Data are based on concepts and definitions that adequately reflect the
diversity of women and men and capture all aspects of their lives;
+
4 Data collection methods take into account stereotypes and social
and cultural factors that may induce gender biases.
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Gender issues - examples
• Do girls and boys have equal access to basic education?
• Do women and men have the equal access to labour market?
• Do women and men spend the same amount of time in caring for
children?
• Do households spend the same amount of income for girls’ and
boys’ education, health and nutrition?
• Are women underrepresented in parliament?
• Are men at higher risk than women for accidental deaths?
• How wide-spread is physical and sexual violence against women?
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Concepts and definitions that capture
gender differences
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Data collection with gender bias
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Confusion between “sex” and “gender” still persists among
producers and users of statistics.
• “Sex” refers to biological differences
• “Gender” refers to socially constructed differences in attributes and
opportunities associated with being female or male and the social
interactions and relationships (including power relationships)
between women and men
• Data are disaggregated by sex, not by gender
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
How are gender statistics
produced?
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Two contrasting models of production of
gender statistics
Model 1 “Add-on”
• Compilation and
dissemination of existing
sex-disaggregated data
Model 2 “Mainstream”
• Gender is taken into
account in all stages of
data production
(planning, data collection,
data analysis, data
dissemination) and in all
statistical fields.
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Model 1: Production of gender
statistics as an “add-on”
• Limited coverage of gender issues
• Concepts and methods of data collection may not be gender sensitive
• Products of dissemination perceived as “for women’s advocates only”
• Gender statistics marginalized among other fields of statistics
• Fail to reach a wide range of users, particularly policy makers, researchers
and analysts in domains other than gender equality
• Their production may be more dependent on irregular economic and
human resources
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Model 2: Gender mainstreamed
in national statistics
(It means that gender is brought into the “mainstream” of all statistical
activities rather than dealt with as an “add-on”)
• Coverage of gender issues are decided from the stage of planning of data
collection
• Concepts and methods of data collection are chosen to be gendersensitive
• Dissemination of gender statistics are incorporated in regular publications
or databases, therefore they reach a wider audience
• A more sustainable production of gender statistics
• Improved quality of data produced by national statistical systems
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
In summary: Gender Statisticsmainstreaming
– More than data disaggregated by sex
– Respond to the needs of policy makers,
advocates, researchers, the media and the
public
– Gender dimension is integrated at all stages of
data production (planning, data collection, data
analysis, data dissemination) and in all
statistical fields
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Four-step plan for developing
gender statistics
1. Identify gender issues (user-producer cooperation is
key)
2. Identify data needed to address those gender issues
3. Assess the availability and quality of existing gender
statistics
4. If gap between data needed and existing data
•
•
•
Better exploitation, tabulation and dissemination of existing
data;
Collection of new data,
Development of new gender-sensitive concepts and methods
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Mainstreaming a gender perspective
into national statistical system requires:
• Leadership and political will at all levels
• Specification of formal requirements of gender statistics in
the national statistical legislation
• Cooperation between users and producers of statistics
• Collaboration of NSOs with other institutions for developing
and improving concepts and methods
• Training of statisticians
• Re-focus of activities and position of gender units and gender
focal points within the national statistical systems
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Global review of Gender Statistics Programmes
in countries
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Global Review - Objectives
–
Conduct a review of gender statistics in national
statistical systems
•
•
–
Mandated by 2011 UN Statistical Commission
Answers received in 2012 from 126 NSOs from 5 UN regions
Obtain information on how gender perspectives are
mainstreamed
Identify good practices and challenges in integrating
gender into the production and use of statistics
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Global Review: 5 main topics
1. Institutional arrangements
2. Production (including data collection) of gender
statistics
3. Addressing users’ needs
4. Assessment of mainstreaming gender into national
statistical system
5. Legal framework
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Global Review: 5 main topics
1. Institutional arrangements
2. Production (including data collection) of gender
statistics
3. Addressing users’ needs
4. Assessment of mainstreaming gender into national
statistical system
5. Legal framework
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
4. Assessment of mainstreaming gender
into national statistical system
Mainstreaming/integrating a gender
perspective into statistics means that
gender issues and gender-based biases are
taken into account systematically, in the
production of all official statistics and at all
stages of data production.
100%
86%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
ECA
ECE
Fully achieved
ESCAP
Partially achieved
Not met
ESCWA
All
No overall objective stated
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
1. Institutional arrangements
Gender Statistics Entities
Question 1: Gender statistics entities
% countries by type of gender statistics entity
Type of gender statistics entity
ESCWA (N=14)
-
Gender statistics focal point /desk in NSO
Gender focal points in different government
ministries/agencies
Gender statistics working groups, advisory
group
Gender statistics dedicated office within the
NSO
Gender statistics section in different
government ministries/agencies
Gender statistics focal point/officer in
different offices within the NSO
+
+
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
All countries (N=126)
21.4
68.2
21.4
49.2
50.0
31.7
28.6
31.0
35.7
27.8
21.4
27.0
United Nations Statistics Division
1. Institutional arrangements
Budgets
Questions 4 and 6: Budgets for gender statistics
ESCWA
% with a dedicated gender statistics budget
All
7.1
12.7
% with ad-hoc funds but no dedicated budget
64.3
48.4
% without dedicated budget or ad-hoc funds
28.6
38.9
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
2. Production of Gender Statistics
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Mixed progress in gender statistics
Global recognition of the importance of Gender Statistics as
shown by the existence of dedicated entities/focal points
Some areas are well-covered
Increased availability of statistics and gender statistics
mainly due to improved dissemination of sex-disaggregated
statistics;
Yet,
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Mixed progress in gender statistics
 Quality gender statistics are still lacking in many
countries:
– Data scarcity in areas such as poverty; time use;
violence against women; environment
• Data not collected in some countries
• Data already collected not adequately
disseminated
• Data disseminated not disaggregated enough to
allow the identification of population groups where
gender differences are more pronounced
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Re-cap
Gender statistics are more than data disaggregated by sex
“Sex” and “gender” not interchangeable
Gender statistics have to respond to the needs of policy makers,
advocates, researchers, the media and the public
Gender should be integrated at all stages of data production and
in all statistical fields (=gender mainstreaming)
Four-step plan for developing gender statistics
• Identify gender issues (user-producer cooperation is key)
• Identify data needed to address those gender issues
• Assess the availability and quality of existing gender statistics
• Use the information on the gap between data needed and existing
data as a basis for developing a plan for gender statistics.
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Visit us at:
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/gender/default.html
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division