Integrating a Gender Perspective into Work
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
How to make work statistics
more gender relevant?
A. Ensure comprehensive coverage of gender issues
– Producing data disaggregated by sex is not enough!
– Identify gender issues in the world of work
– Identify available data sources & gaps
B. Improve quality of work statistics from a gender perspective
– Frameworks, concepts, definitions that recognize differences
– Methods that reduce underreporting & misclassification
C. Facilitate understanding of gender differences
– Highlight gender issues in presentation of data
– Often requires detailed disaggregation to identify differences
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
A. Ensure comprehensive coverage
– Scope & objectives of work statistics
– Identify gender issues
– Identify data needs to address gender issues
– Assess existing sources of data
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Work & Labour market statistics:
Scope and objectives (19th ICLS, 2013)
• Describe and monitor labour markets
– Participation in employment, characteristics, working conditions
– Extent of underutilization, labour market access and integration
• Measure & participation in all forms of work (paid & unpaid)
– Contribution to economy (national accounts / satellite accounts)
– Contribution to household livelihoods and wellbeing
• Assess differences in participation
– Urban / rural , women / men, children / youth / adults, etc.
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Identify gender issues
Gender differences
-Levels & patterns of work and
labour market participation
-Characteristics of the work
-Working conditions
-Contributions & returns from work
Data needs
Forms of work performed (paid & unpaid)
Labour force status
Barriers to labour force entry
Occupation, industry, employment status
Union membership
Occupational injuries
Earnings, working time, benefits, social security
Personal & context variables
Education
-Age, sex, education, marital status
Family constraints
-Family constraints (presence of children by age
Intra-household & gender roles
groups, other dependent members, child care…)
Community expectations
-Area context (urban /rural, regions)
Access to physical & financial assets
-Personal ownership of assets (land, livestock)
Discrimination
on
the
job
market
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
United Nations Statistics Division
-Employment
experience,
seniority
Statistics,
Amman,
Jordan,
1-4
December
2014
And in the workplace
Identify gender issues: 4 dimensions
1. Forms of work
(paid & unpaid)
carried out
2. Labour market
access / exit
3. Characteristics
and conditions
of work
4. Contributions
and returns
for their work
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
1. Forms of work (paid & unpaid)
• Do they engage in work for pay or profit?
– Employment
• Do they provide unpaid household services?
– Own-use providers of services
• Do they engage in subsistence agriculture, fishing?
– Own-use producers of goods, subsistence foodstuff producers
• Do they participate in unpaid community / village work?
– Volunteer work
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Illustration: Forms of work
ILO Department of Statistics
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
8
2. Labour market access
• Do they have work for pay / profit ?
– Employment
• Do they look / are available for work for pay / profit?
– Unemployment
• Do they work for pay /profit or look for work?
– Labour force
• Do they enter and exit the labour market?
– Labour turnover, life cycle patterns
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Labour force participation rate, by sex
Source: United Nations, 2010
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
3. Characteristics & conditions of their
work
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tasks & duties in their job - occupations
Kind of goods / services produced - industries
Employment relationship - status in employment
Security and stability – contract type, duration
Type of employer - institutional sector
Type of establishment –formal, informal, household
Type of place where they work - place of work
Hazardousness of their work – occupational injuries, illnesses
Voice and representation– union density, collective agreements
Benefits provided -social security coverage, maternity leave
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Illustration: Occupations with highest
concentration of women / men
Source: ILO Department of statistics
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
4. Contributions & returns for their
work
• Working time
– Hours worked, working time arrangements
• Income from employment
– Wages, salaries, commissions, tips
– Profits / losses
– Overtime payments, other regular & irregular payments
– Social security benefits
• Contribution to households, community & economy
– Value of production for own-final use
– Value of paid and unpaid work to national production &
satellite accounts
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
13
United Nations Statistics Division
Illustration: time spent on paid and unpaid
work
Source: World’s Women
2010
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Unpaid work in GDP
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Official sources of work
statistics
Different sources exist, with different purposes
– Population and housing census
– Household surveys
– Labour force surveys (LFS)
– Household income & expenditure surveys (HIES)
– Time-use surveys (TUS)
– Establishment-based censuses & surveys
– Administrative records
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
ILO Department of Statistics
United Nations Statistics Division
16
Improve quality of work statistics
- Frameworks, concepts, definitions that recognize gender
differences
- Methods that reduce underreporting & misclassification
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
New work statistics framework
(Resolution I, 19th ICLS, 2013)
• Address gender bias in recognition of ALL work (paid and
unpaid)
– Make visible participation patterns & quantify
contributions
• Inform policies targeting different forms of work, paid & unpaid
– Working conditions, remuneration, social protection,
work life balance, social inclusion & cohesion
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Forms of Work (III): 5 distinguished
By main intended destination & transaction type
Work
Source: ILO
(i.e. ALL activities to produce goods and services)
For own final use
For use by others (i.e. other units)
(by households)
For remuneration (i.e. for pay or profit)
Own-use
production
work
Services
Goods
Employment
(work for pay or profit)
Services
Goods
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
Without remuneration
Unpaid
trainee
work
S
G
Other work
activities
(e.g. unpaid
compulsory
work)
S
G
Volunteer
work
G
S
United Nations Statistics Division
Illustration: Participation of WAP
in different forms of work (%)
Source: ILO
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Illustration: Own use providers of services
by sex and activity cluster (%WAP)
Most unpaid
household
services
predominantly
performed by
women, except
for household
repairs
Source: ILO calculations based on national data (LFS-CWIQ, 2010)
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Classification by:
Main reason for not being in labour market
• Personal reasons
– Own illness, disability
– Studies, training
• Family related reasons
Social barriers
– Pregnancy, family or household responsibilities
– Refusal by family
• Labour market reasons
– Past failure in finding a job, gave up looking for jobs
– Lack of experience, qualifications or jobs matching skills
Discouragement
– Lack of jobs in the area
– Considered too young or too old by prospective employers
• Lack of infrastructure
– No roads, transport, employment services in the area
• Other sources of income
– Pensions, rents
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
To reduce underreporting & misclassification
Issues in measurement
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
23
Reduce gender biases in data collection
• Instrument design
– Add probes (questions) and examples to better capture activities likely to be
underreported (secondary, casual, part/-time self-employment jobs)
– Use reference periods that take account of different gender roles
• Field operations
– Interviewer training (raise awareness of concepts, activities likely to go
unreported, social expectations & roles, multiple activities of women)
– Mixed teams of interviewers (men / women)
– Avoid proxy responses, reduce interviewer interpretation by providing full
questions to be read verbatim
• Data processing, coding
– Collect detailed information for industry and occupation
– Reduce coding based on assumptions of typical gendered occupations
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Suggested activities for
gender units and gender focal points
• Review questionnaires, manuals & training for surveys and censuses:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Work topics covered (main topics + causal factors)
Use of additional questions on “WHY – not working, not seeking work etc.)
Use of probing questions, activity lists / sketches
Examples given in the manuals (should be free of gender bias)
Degree of details used in classifications
Coverage of gender aspects in the training
• Discuss data quality with survey/census team
• Get involved in data quality assessments at the end of data collection
• Careful assessment of data for adequate interpretation
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Facilitate understanding of gender differences
• Highlight gender issues in presentation of data
• Detailed disaggregation to identify differences
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Basic table for gender analysis
Title
Women
N
%
Men
N
Sex distribution
%
%W
%M
A
B
C
Total
100
100
Source…
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
Group exercise
• Using the handout provided, do the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Identify key gender issue(s)
Determine key message(s) to be highlighted
Propose a title / heading that highlights the gender issue shown
Draft a short paragraph explaining key message(s)
Discuss its relevance for labour market and social policies
Was the information provided sufficient?
-If no, which additional information is needed?
Regional Workshop on Integrating a Gender Perspective in the Production of
Statistics, Amman, Jordan, 1-4 December 2014
United Nations Statistics Division
37%
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