Inter-Regional Workshop on the Production
of Gender Statistics
New Delhi, India, 6-10 August 2007
Producer – User Dialogue
By
Grace Bediako
Government Statistician
Ghana Statistical service
A word from the Platform for
Action – Beijing 1995
Governments are to:
 Ensure that producers and users of
statistics in each country regularly
review the adequacy of official
statistical system and its coverage of
gender issues, and prepare a plan for
needed improvements, where
necessary. (Para. 210 (b))
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Aims of the presentation
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What are the principles for engaging
producers and users in a dialogue?
How do statistical offices traditionally
involve users in their data production?
What do we need to improve on and
how?
What are the benefits … and to whom?
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Statistics serve to:
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Discern past trends
Assess current levels and differentials
Deduce future patterns
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Understand past and current performances
as a basis for planning for the future
Set realistic targets for programmes
Monitor changes
Evaluate achievements
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Producer-user consultation not
a new concept to statisticians
They have served different purposes:
 Statutory – Statistics advisory group or Statistics
Council, as part of the legislative
structure/organization of national statistics system
 Ad hoc Advisory Committee for special tasks
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Statistical inquiries/surveys
Review of statistical reports
Database/indicator dissemination
Etc.
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Expect more from statistics
when gender dimension added
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Users of gender statistics constitute a
major group to target
The use of gender statistics brings
new application to expensive data
The analysis of data is extended from
different user perspectives
Use of the data for advocacy also
publicizes the statistics
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Introducing gender to statistics
would require new approaches
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Need to go beyond the traditional-producer-user
groups
Explore communication in both directions –
Producers
Users
Engage users every step of the production
process
Solicit feedback from users on continuous basis
Respond positively to feedback
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Make use of feedback received
Provide responses
Inform users about outcome of feedback
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Users have to be engaged in
continuous dialogue throughout the
production process to maximise
gains.
Effective engagement requires
new orientation and
appreciation for user inputs.
Consulting users
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Know your users
Understand their needs and requirements
Appreciate their special skills and potentials
Determine how best to capitalize on these
skills
Find a way of combining the different
personalities
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Minimize conflicts
Maximize contributions to the outputs
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Who are the users of gender
statistics?
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Government officials, programme
managers, policy-makers, etc.
Women’s and gender advocates
Researchers and academicians
International organizations, bilateral aid
agencies, development partners
Civil society organizations, NGOs,
Media
Ordinary citizen
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Just about every could use
gender statistics
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Applications are wide ranging and vary by
individuals, institutions, etc.
The purposes are also different
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For advocacy
Justify programme/policy direction and orientation
Assess the programme performance
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What skills/capacities?
User
Aware of gender
issues and the need
for gender statistics
Trained in
statistics
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Not trained in
statistics
Not aware of gender
issues and the need for
gender statistics
Trained in
statistics
Not trained in
statistics
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The challenge
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Managing the wide range of users
Reconciling different interests and
purposes
Responding to the varying levels of
understanding in technical issues and
gender awareness
Meeting the diversity of needs
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Bringing gender issues into
the production of statistics
Reformulate
development
issues
Problems and questions
on gender issues in society
Needs for improvement
of the situations of
women and men
USERS
of statistics
Cooperate
PRODUCERS
of statistics
Goals for equal opportunity
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Enhancing visibility of women
and men in statistical products
Targeting different
audiences
Presentation
Cooperate
Feedback
Analysis of data
PRODUCERS
of statistics
USERS
Dissemination
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of statistics
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At the data compilation and
analysis stage
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Identify crucial gender issues
Ascertain areas for policy interventions and
formulation of gender goals
Verify deductions and explanations of the
statistics and indicators
Give context to the analysis
Assess the clarity and usefulness of
presentation formats, style of publication,
suitability of output for intended audience
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Role of producer-user dialogue
Beginning stages
of data collection
Define
issues
Identify
statistical
needs
Identify
gaps
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Consultations/feedback
in-between
Advice on
questionnaires
design
Producers
of statistics
Users of
statistics
Advice on
concepts &
methods
Final steps
in data
collection
Support
analysis
Identify
gaps
Feedback on
relevance of
data/products
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Channels of communication
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Informal discussions
Individual consultations
Comments on/review of draft documents
Technical workshops
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Data analysis workshops
Report drafting workshops
Meetings of consultative/advisory committee
meetings
Dissemination workshops
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Making communication twoway – What to offer to users
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Understanding the needs of users
Learning to communicate in the language of
users
Bringing statistics to the different technical
levels of users
Generating useful products
Making the constraints of producers known
Responding to and appreciating feedback
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Drawbacks to producer-user
consultations
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Can lengthen the time table
Can generate conflicting opinions
Can yield competing demands
Can raise unrealistic expectations
Can lead to disappointments when
expectations are not met
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Producers of statistics have
their limitations too
Producers
of statistics
Aware of gender
issues and the
need for gender
statistics
Trained in
gender issues
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Trained in
gender
statistics
Not aware of
gender issues and
the need for
gender statistics
Not trained in
gender issues
Not trained in
gender
statistics
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Ultimately, producer-user
dialogue benefits all
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Increased utilization of the data
produced (often generate at great cost)
Enhanced statistical literacy – better and
more effective use of statistics
Users knowledge about constraints of
the national statistical system increased
More advocates and greater support for
the national statistical system
Expanded sources of technical inputs
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A word from the Platform for
Action – Beijing 1995
Governments are to:
 Ensure that producers and users of
statistics in each country regularly
review the adequacy of official
statistical system and its coverage of
gender issues, and prepare a plan for
needed improvements, where
necessary. (Para. 210 (b))
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Some reflection on current
practices
The Beijing Platform for Action assigns responsibility on Government (in
this case the NSO or the Women’s Machinery) to ensure that produceruser dialogue is maintained:
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To what extent is this being done?
How formal is such an arrangement? If a group is in
place how regularly does it meet?
What are some of the benefits gained, to those that
practice this?
Are there some elements of such an arrangement
that guarantee successful outcomes?
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