Gender statistics in
PRSPs
Sulekha Patel
The World Bank
Gender Forum, Ghana, Accra
January 26-28, 2009
Gender Issues in PRSPs
Context
 To evaluate gender sensitivity of country
PRSPs:
• MDGs
• Expanded ( proposed) set of indicators


To identify existing gaps in PRSP
coverage
Next steps
Key Elements of Gender Equality
Gender equality in rights, resources, and voice
Leveling the field of
opportunities
Household
Economy &
Markets
Society
Household
resource
and task
allocations,
fertility
decisions
Access to
land, financial
services, labor
markets,
technology
Civic and
political
participation
Aggregate economic performance
(poverty reduction, growth)
Domains of
choices,
domains for
policy
Framework : Key Elements of
Gender Equality
Ties together key elements of gender equality*

In the household: increased gender equality between men and
women changes the allocation of HH expenditures, resulting in a
larger share of resources devoted to children’s education and health.

In the market: gender inequality is reflected in unequal access to
land, credit, and labor markets, and in significantly less access to
new production technologies.

In society: gender inequality is expressed as restrictions to women’s
participation in civic and political life.

In addition to improving individuals’ lives, increased gender equality
can contribute to better aggregate economic performance.
*Source – WB Global Monitoring Report 2007
Advance Gender Equality:
business case



Countries are falling behind their
commitment to meet the MDGs
Gains in women’s economic opportunities lag
behind those on women’s capabilities
Lack of women’s empowerment:
• Imperils growth and poverty reduction
• Less favourable education and health outcomes
•
for children
Rapid spread of HIV/AIDS
MDG 3: Promote gender equality
and empower women

Target 3A:
Eliminate gender
disparities in
primary and
secondary
education,
preferably by
2005, and in all
levels of education
by no later than
2015
Official Indicators
Household
Economy and
market
Society
Ratio of girls’ to
boys’
enrollment in
primary,
secondary, and
tertiary
education
Share of
women in
wage employment in the
nonagricultural
sector
Proportion of
seats held by
women in
national
parliament
MDG3 Effect on Other MDGs
Gender equality and women’s empowerment
are channels to attaining other MDGs —
• universal primary education (MDG2A),
• lower under-five mortality (MDG4A),
• improved maternal health (MDG5A and B),
• lower likelihood of contracting HIV/AIDS
•
(MDG6A),
Reduce biodiversity loss (MDG7B).
Limitations of the Official MDG3
Indicators

Only partially measure gender equality

Do not monitor key elements of gender
equality (health outcomes and disparities in access to productive
resources such as land, credit, and technology)

Inadequate measurement of empowerment

National-level indicators can veil inequalities
between particular subgroups
Official MDG indicators conceal
inequalities within countries

Ratio of girls’ to boys’ enrollment in primary, secondary, and
tertiary education –
• say nothing about educational outcomes (Completion?
Getting a job?) Gaps between boys and girls completion
rates remain high in SSA and SA (90% to 83% and 67% to
57% respectively)
• Changes in the indicators based on parity ratios are difficult
to interpret. (Increases in female-to-male ratios can result
from a fall in male rates with female rates remaining
constant)
• Measures the status of women relative to men, rather than
whether women are empowered (whether they have the
ability to exercise options, choice, and control)
Other Indicators’ limitations:

Share of women in non/agricultural wage employment
• Does not take into account the circumstances of each country –
such as the share of non-agricultural employment as a
percentage of total employment.
• Limited use for low-income countries where wage employment
is not a main source of jobs.
• Does not capture the dimensions of job quality/ability of women
to work for pay (economic empowerment)
• Does not quantify barriers inhibiting women from participating in
the labour force.
• Does not capture the ability of women to control their fertility

Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments
• Captures political participation only at the national level, not at
provincial or local levels,
Prospective MDG 3 Indicators
Household
Economy and markets
Society
Test scores, male and
female
Gender gap in wages
Percentage voting by male,
female, and ratio
Proportion of women who
have ever been victims of
physical violence by an
intimate male partner
Share of women in informal wage and
self-employment in nonagricultural
employment
Proportion of women in the
executive branch
Percent of employed women who face
access to child care
Percentage of individuals who
possess basic citizenship
documents, female, and ratio
Business by average size and sex of
owner
Access to credit for women and men
Land ownership by female, male, and
jointly held
Gender in the PRSPs


45 PRSPs, from 2003-08 were reviewed
Examined the degree to which gender
issued were addressed, and deemed
measureable:
• MDGs
• Prospective set of indicators
0
Ratio of girls to boys
in tertiary education
27
Ratio of girls to boys
in secondary education
47
Ratio of girls to boys
in primary education
58
1
Proportion of seats held by
women in national parliament
42
Share of women in wage
employment in the
non-agricultural sector
9
Ratio of literate women
to men, 15-24 years old
40
Percentage
MDG coverage in PRSPs
Percentage of countries that mention MDG 3
indicators in PRSP
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Adolescent birth rate
29
Contraceptive
prevalence rate
49
Proportion of births attended
by skilled health personnel
47
Maternal mortality ratio
93
1
HIV prevalence among
population ages 15-24 years
42
Unmet need for family planning
9
Antenatal care coverage
18
Related MDG indicators
Percentage of countries that mention other gender
related MDG indicators in PRSP
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
Prospective MDG3 Indicators: Household
Issue
Indicator
Test scores, male and female
Number of
countries
0
Proportion of women who have ever
been victims of physical violence by an
intimate male partner/Domestic Violence
% of women who have experienced
violence
% who know that violence against women
is a crime
% of cases prosecuted
% of women victim reintegrated in the
society
4
1
1
2
Prospective MDG3 Indicators- Economy and Markets
Issue
Indicator
Number of
countries
Gender gap in wages
Females’ wages as % of males’ wages
1
Gender salary gap in the private sector
1
Share of women self- employed
1
Number of hours women in agricultural work per day
1
Informal sector
9
Percentage of children getting day-care facilities
1
Share of women in informal wage and self-employment in
non-agricultural employment
Percent of employed women who face access to child care
Business by average size and sex of owner
0
Access to credit for women and men
Percentage of women with access to training, credit
and fiscal incentives for SMEs
1
Percentage of women who have obtained credit
7
Volume of microcredits granted to women
1
Ratio of men to women who have obtained credit
1
Percentage of girls/women with access to land
ownership
2
Percentage of women who had the right to inherit
1
Land ownership by female, male, and jointly held
Prospective MDG3 Indicators: Society
Issue
Indicator
Number of countries
Percentage voting by male, female,
and ratio
0
Proportion of women in the
executive branch
7
Percentage of individuals who
possess basic citizenship
documents, female, and ratio
0
Next steps

Advocacy: Raise awareness for Bank
and country staff:
• Developing training for Bank staff

Collaboration with partners to develop
indicators to measure and monitor the
prospective indicators:
• Identify indicators
• Develop methodology to gather and process
data