Engendering Statistics
& Sensitizing Population Censuses
In ESCWA Region
Global Forum on Gender Statistics
Rome, 10-12 Dec. 2007
Neda Jafar
Statistics Division
ESCWA
jafarn@un.org
Contents
• Introduction
• Engendering Statistics
• History of Population and Housing Censuses
• Gender Mainstreaming in the National Statistical Systems
• Gender Mainstreaming in the Population Censuses
• Conclusion
2
International frameworks
Beijing Platform for Action
Strategic objective H.3.
“Generate and disseminate genderdisaggregated data and information for planning
and evaluation”
Fourth World Conference on Women
(Beijing, September 1995)
3
VIRTUAL LIBRARY
Engendering Statistics
- Regional Focus of work Guidelines
Handbooks
Projects Workshops
& Fellowships
• Evaluating and
improving definitions,
concepts, methods
• Improving skills in
data production,
analysis and
dissemination
• Reporting and
Gender-based
disseminating
S statistical publications
evidence-based
statistics
Gender Database
& Framework
• Monitoring and
analyzing national
compiled data
Tasks Forces
Expert Groups
Int. organizations
Gender Units in NSOs
Gender Handbook
& Manuals
Gender Statistics
Projects
Regional Workshops
& Fellowships
• Gender in MDGs: An Information Guide for
Arab MDG Reports
• Arabic translation of Handbook on: How to
Prepare Statistical Publications on Women
and Men
• Development of National Gender Statistics
Programmes (GSP) in the Arab Countries
• Development of National Gender Statistics in
Iraq (UNDG-IFT)
• Interregional cooperation to strengthen social
inclusion, gender equality and health
promotion in the Millennium Development
Goals
• Toward More Gender-Responsive MDG
Monitoring and Reporting in the Arab Region
• 4 Regional Workshop to prepare Women & Men
Publications (1997-2003)
• Workshop on Gender Statistics as a Tool for Policy
Formulation and Analysis (2003)
• Workshop on Time- Use Survey, (2007)
• Fellowships of Iraq COSIT/Gender Unit to Jordan5
DOS/Gender
Gender-based
statistical publications
Gender Database
• 5Women and Men In the Arab
Region:
A Statistical Portrait – Education –
Employment –
Where Do Arab Women Stand in the
Development Process?
Arab Women in Public Life and
Leadership
- Health disaggregated database
(national : 1990-2006)
- Arab GenInfo database
UNSD DB + National reports
6
Engendering Statistics –
National Level
• National workshops
• National Gender-Based Country Reports
• National Gender Statistical Booklets
7
National Gender-based Country Reports
The reports include national work plans, overviews of national
workshops, national strategies for improving gender statistics,
and challenges in the preparation of national statistical.
Algeria
Egypt
Jordan
Lebanon
Oman
Palestine
Qatar
Syria
Tunisia
Yemen
8
National Workshops
A series of national workshops were held in connection
to the Development of National Gender Statistics
Programmes in the Arab Countries (GSP).
Algeria
First National Workshop
June 1995
Egypt
First National Workshop
December 1997
Second National Workshop
August 1999
Iraq
First National Workshop
December 2006
Jordan
First National Workshop
June 1998
Second National Workshop
July 1999
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National Workshops
Lebanon
First National Workshop
June 1998
Second National Workshop
June 1999
Oman
First National Workshop
February 2000
Palestine
First National Workshop
March 1999
Qatar
First National Workshop
July 2001
Second National Workshop
January 2003
First National Workshop
April 1998
Second National Workshop
August 1999
First National Workshop
July 1998
Second National Workshop
July 1999
First National Workshop
December 1998
Syria
Tunisia
Yemen
10
National Gender
Statistical Booklets
National Women and Men Series
Algeria: A Statistical Portrait
Egypt: A Statistical Portrait
Jordan: A Statistical Portrait
Lebanon: A Statistical Portrait
Oman: Women and Men
Qatar: National Report on Women and Men
Palestine: A Statistical Portrait
The Syrian Arab Republic: A Statistical Portrait
Tunisia: A Statistical Portrait
Yemen: A Statistical Portrait
Morocco: Women and Men
11
G IS IN Framework
First Step: BPfA & MDG
Table 1. Linkages between the MDGs and the Arab Countries Priority Areas
of Concern
MDGs
BPfA Areas of Concern for the Arab Countries
First Level Priority
G1 Eradicate Extreme
Poverty and Hunger
G2 Achieve Universal
Primary Education
G3 Promote Gender
Equality and Empower
Women
G4 Reduce child mortality
G5 Improve Maternal
Health
Second Level Priority
Women and poverty
Education and training
of women
Women in power and Women and the economy
decision-making
Women and the media
Violence
against
women
The girl-child
Women and health
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Second Step: Issue
Women in power and decision making
Arab women’s participation in decision making is
minimal. It is essential to highlight this discrepancy
in order to take measures to ensure women's equal
access to, and full participation in, power structures,
and increase their capacity to participate in public
life leadership.
The unfair civil and family
legislations and biased/ patriarchal legal systems,
gender violence and other gender issues of concern
will be effectively addressed when the “victims” are
placed in the leadership positions.
13
Third Step: Indicators
Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women
Goals
Area
Data set/Indicator
Proportion of seats held by women
in national parliaments
Ratio of women to men judges
Ratio of women to men lawyers
Ratio of women to men ministerial
level
Women
in power
and
decision
making
BPfA
7.1 "Disseminate data on the
number of women and men
employed at various levels in
Governments on a yearly basis
(...), set up (...) mechanisms for
monitoring progress in this field
Ratio of women to men
(...), and encourage (...) and ensure
ambassadors
that Government funded
Percentage of seats held by women organizations adopt nonand men in local government
discriminatory policies and
bodies
practices"
Listing of laws and regulations that
are conducive to the burdens of
7.3 “Recognize that shared work
parenthood being shared equitably and parental responsibilities
between the two sexes.(These are
between women and men promote
laws on parental leave, leave for
women's increased participation in
child sickness, rights to nursery
public life, and take appropriate
places, or others that provide
measures to achieve this, including
opportunities for men to play their measures to reconcile family and
role as fathers)
professional life”
Official
UN
MDG
MTF
Indicators 2005
12
X
X
14
Censuses History in the ESCWA Region
• Population and housing censuses are
implemented in 13 ESCWA MC with the
exception of Lebanon.
• Lebanon has no act to carry out a census. The
first and last census was conducted in 1932.
• NSO responsible for conducting the censuses
• Except in Oman and UAE where census
undertaking is assigned to the Ministry of
Economy.
15
1990 round of
censuses
1985-1994
2000 round of
censuses
1995-2004
2010 round of
censuses
2005-2014
11
12
4 completed and
9 are planned
16
• Collection through traditional questionnaire
method, except for Yemen.
• In 2004, Yemen used the short and long
method in it last population census.
• Home delivered questionnaires, self-filled by
the head of household, and collected by the
enumerators.
• All member countries in the Region conduct
de facto censuses, except for Bahrain.
17
• MC adhere to international guidelines in
conducting their censuses.
• Active through ESCWA 2010 Population and
Housing Census Task Force established in 2005
• Contributed to UN Principles &
Recommendations for Population and Housing
Censuses revisions & translated the revisions
• Discuss topics on rolling census, post
enumeration survey, and harmonization of
definitions and concepts
18
Mainstreaming Gender in the Statistical
Systems
• GS important for gender sensitive policy
formulation and in development planning
• Adequate gender-specific information would
become available if and only if the whole
statistical system becomes aware of the
gender issues and takes specific steps
• MC in GSP published gender-based national
reports: include national work plans,
workshops, strategies for improving gender
statistics, and challenges.
19
• A dearth of gender sensitive statistics
• Certain dearth in attempts to analyze sexdisaggregated data with a gender lens
• Few NSDS make explicit reference to gender related
topics and the need to collect sex-disaggregated data
• Few NSOs have established Gender Units
• There are few specialized publications and surveys
20
Gender Mainstreaming in the Population
Censuses
• Gender Census Content
– collect, compile and present disaggregated data
by sex
– analyze by and present with sex as a primary and
overall classification
– enhance census content by carrying out largescale sample surveys to investigate specific gender
issues in depth within census operation
– publish Women and Men reports based on the
population census data.
21
• However,
– very few exerting specific efforts to identify
national gender issues to collect
– most of the countries have not formulated
concepts and definitions that would adequately
reflect the diversity of women and men & capture
all aspects of their lives
– almost all member countries have not yet
developed data collection methods that take into
account stereotypes , social and cultural factors
22
that might produce gender biases
Where do ESCWA member countries stand from the UN
Recommended List of Topics?
Household characteristics
85%
Economic characteristics
75%
Education characteristics
80%
Migration characteristics
70%
Fertility and mortality
53%
Demographic and social…
0%
86%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
23
Fertility and mortality
Number of live then dead
70%
Number of live births
70%
20%
Duration of marriage
50%
Age at 1st marriage was
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
24
Economic characteristics
60%
Economic activity
20%
Number of hours worked
100%
Main field/activity of…
90%
Establishment sector type
80%
Occupation
100%
Employment status
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
25
How many of the UN Recommended core tabulations
are produced by member countries?
• 63% maximum = Underproduction of census
data
• Most produced tabulations by highest order :
– educational characteristics
– Economic & demographic and social characteristics
– Household characteristics
– Fertility and mortality
– Geographical and internal migration characteristics
– Disability characteristics
– International migration and immigrant stocks
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•Gender Census operations
• Data collection framework and instruments are gender
biased.
• Thorough review and a systematic engendering of each
specific data collection instrument is required in its 3 phases:
• pre-enumeration phase: gender-specific questions,
modification and standardization of concepts and definitions,
preparation of standard classification of occupation and
industry, and training enumerators to be gender sensitive
• enumeration operation: gender sensitization of respondents,
publicity campaigns, supervision of enumerators to ensure a
gender-sensitive enumeration process.
• post-enumeration phase: developing special tabulation &
27
publications
The Pre-Enumeration Phase
Implemented
Will be
implemented
Will NOT be
implemented
Establish gender cells/units at NSO to sensitize
the census functionaries and handling of gender
issues
50%
38%
12%
Gender orientation workshops for senior
management of the NSO to provide exposure to
gender concepts, insights into gender concerns
50%
38%
12%
38%
50%
Establish gender-oriented technical committees
or expert groups to deal specifically with gender
concerns at the various stages of the census
50%
50%
Workshop on mainstreaming gender in census to
develop consensus on integration of gender
concerns in the census
25%
63%
Training of census personnel; enumerators and
supervisors to strengthen the gender perspective
50%
50%
Develop a media/publicity materials portraying
gender concepts and explaining gender
terminologies and TV/radio campaigns
12%
12%
28
The Enumeration Phase
Mobilization/recruitment of female field
personnel
Conduct publicity campaign (TV, radio, ,,,)
and materials (posters, flyers,…) portraying
gender concepts and terminologies
throughout the period to sensitize
respondents
New gender specific approaches :
application of national or international
standard classification of occupation and
industry to provide detailed breakdown (4digit) in type of occupation and industries
and for further gender analysis
Implemented
Will be
Will NOT be
implemented implemented
54% Palestine
35% Jordan
30% UAE
2.5% Bahrain
25%
63%
50%
50%
29
The Post Enumeration Phase
Produce gender concerns in general
census tabulation disaggregated by
sex
Produce separate gender specific
census outputs addressing typical
gender issues from census results
Will be
Will NOT be
Implemented implemented implemented
50%
All/
Almost all
50%
38%
38%
25%
30
Conclusion
• Gender is not fully mainstreamed in the
Statistical Systems
• National gender issues and concerns have not
been investigated thoroughly
• Shortage in including UN recommended
minimum set of topics and tabulations within
the overall contents
31
• Population census operations are not gender
sensitized in all its phases and does not make
use of all the different tools
• There is underproduction of gender data
• There is underreporting on gender issues
using census results
• There is a serious lack of gender literacy at all
levels
32
• There is a need to improve the coverage of
women and provide good gender statistics &
detailed information at the sectoral level
• There is a need to enhance the census content
by carrying out large-scale sample surveys to
investigate specific gender issues in depth
within census operation
33
Thank you
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