Gender institutional framework:
Implications for household surveys
Global Forum on Gender Statistics, Rome,
Italy: 10 – 12 Dec 2007
Session 8: Engendering Household
Surveys – Measuring Work
Cyril Parirenyatwa
7 December 2007
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Introduction
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commitments to gender equality/equity
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Need for gender mainstreaming policies, programmes and
budgets
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gender statistics input to policy formulation, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation
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enabling environment for gendered surveys depends on
number of interrelated factors
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Presentation on gender institutional framework and
implications on surveys for measuring work e.g. Labour Force
Surveys
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Driving forces for engendered statistics
International and regional agreements
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Zimbabwe is party / signatory to international/regional
agreements on gender equity and equality
Adopted three goals as priority Goal 3: promote gender
equality and empower women and Goals 1 & 6
National policymaking developments – Constitutional
and legislative framework:
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National Gender Policy (2004) and Plan of Action
National gender machinery composed of: Ministry; Gender
Focal Points (GFP) - ministries/parastatals; trained in
gender mainstreaming; private sector to be included later
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National policymaking developments
 National gender machinery (contd)
 Equal opportunities legislation and anti-discrimination
laws to safeguard against discrimination
 Gender Budgeting and Results Based Budgeting
principles,
 Long / Medium term plans: Vision 2020; Zimbabwe
United National Development Assistance Frame
(ZUNDAF); Zimbabwe Economic Development Strategy
(ZEDS, 2009 – 2015: under preparation); Thematic
groups on gender.
 Other measures : Affirmative Action; differential entry
requirements into institutions of higher learning for the
girl child; jjoint custody of children; women’s
ownership of land.
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Engendering Household Surveys Measuring Work facilitating conditions – results of driving forces:
 Census and Statistics Legislation, 2007
o Establishes Semi-autonomous Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT)
with Board with at least half of the members being women.
o Board to approve national censuses and surveys conducted
by other persons
o ZIMSTAT to co-ordinate the National Statistical System
(NSS)
o Gender Focal Point appointed : Govt. / Parastatals
 Gender Statistics Section responsible for:
o strengthening gender statistics
o gender sensitization of staff, including fieldstaff
o producing gender statistics products
o training in gender and child analysis for CSO, NSS
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Engendering Household Surveys Measuring Work facilitating conditions:
 Household Surveys Programme:
o size of the surveys enable generation of gender-sensitive
indicators
o gender sensitivity is practiced at the recruitment e.g.
Demographic and Health Survey.
o Training for trainers & fieldstaff
 Census and Survey Planning Committees - representation:
Gender, Household Surveys; Sampling & GIS, Employment; key
stakeholders
 Stakeholder consultation and participation for prioritisation
through: user inquiries; user - producer workshops
 Consensus-building workshop to ensure relevance of data
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Engendering Household Surveys Measuring Work facilitating conditions:
 Dissemination of gender statistics through:
• Dissemination workshops – release and discuss results,
identify data needs
 Specific gender reports
 Gender sensitive statistics
 Internet (website - http://www.zimstat.org)
 Databases:
 Zimbabwe National Statistics Database (ZIMDAT)
contains economic, social and political indicators from
1980 and most indicators are disaggregated by sex
 Integrated Management Information System (IMIS)
accommodates individual data records.
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Implications for engendering household surveys
• Questions on individuals include sex variable
• Examples engendered survey results, 2004 LFS & Child
Labour Survey:
• Labour force participation (LFPR) for males (av. 91%)
exceed those for females (av. 84%)
• Economically inactive females were 537 thousand vs.
292 thousand males
• Of working age population, 79% was employed;
• Employment rate: Male - 85 %; Females – 74%
• Large differentials between male and female
employment rates in urban provinces of Harare
(male - 71 %; female - 44 %) and Bulawayo (male
- 70 %; female - 46 %).
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• Examples engendered survey results, 2004 LFS & Child
Labour Survey:
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Broad youth (age 15-24 yrs) unemployment rate:
Females - 19 %; male - 11 %; both sexes - 15 %
Of 529 000 unemployed, 45% were previously
employed; of whom 79 % were female
Of 5.1 million currently employed 15+: 681 000 and
were in informal sector: 319 000 males and 362 000
females
Informal sector absorbed 31 000 persons of everretrenched from Jan ‘95 and May 2004: 80 % being
male
59 % males and 81 % females of agricultural
employees reported injuries that were work related
Question: how policy makers used the information? 9
Lessons for engendering surveys measuring work
•Basis for gender statistics expressed in:
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International/regional/ national documents and plans
national legislations/ regulations; documents and plans
Manuals and guidelines on gender statistics
Gender statistics workshops and seminars
•for monitoring Goal 3, Zimbabwe Millennium Development Goals
2004 Progress Report assessed existing capacities using the
categories of: very weak, weak, fair, strong and very strong as
follows:
• Fair: data gathering and the quality of survey information
• Weak: statistical tracking, analysis and incorporating
statistics into policy
• No system for gender monitoring and evaluation was in
existence.
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• Need vigorous awareness campaign within the NSS about:
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existence of the documents together with knowledge
about gender concerns and gender equality policies
• mainstreaming gender statistics in the national statistical
system
• Some strategies for engendering household surveys:
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Establish National Gender Statistics Committee
Gender training (sensitisation, analysis, etc)
Include the sex variable in all data collected
fill data gaps
Develop gender statistics database
compile compendium on standards, concepts, definitions
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At international and regional levels: engender existing
manuals and guidelines
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The End
and
Thank You for Lending Me Your Ears
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Central Statistical Office
P. O. Box CY 342, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: 263 4 706 681-8; Fax: 263 4 728 529/ 708 854
E-mail: director@cso.zarnet.ac.zw
Website: http://www.zimstat.org
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