Joint ESCWA/ILO Workshop on Mainstreaming Gender in Labour Statistics,
Turin, 9-12 December 2008
Development of Gender
Statistics
Neda Jafar
ESCWA Statistics Division
jafarn@un.org
1
Overview

Rationale for gender statistics

Engendering statistics
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@ global level
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@ regional level
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@ national level
The Iraq Project
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Rationale for Gender
Statistics
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Why gender statistics?
Factual basis for all stages of policy making:
planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring ,
reporting and evaluation
 Shed light on priority gender issues and gender
gaps
 Set targets and benchmarks
 Track progress
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Engendering Statistics
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Engendering statistics

A wide range of initiatives and activities have
been undertaken at the country, regional and
global levels regarding the development and
application of gender indicators
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Engendering Statistics
The Global Level
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Engendering statistics:
Global Level

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International frameworks
GA Resolutions
Technical materials
Statistical reports and publications
Global gender statistics programmes
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Focus of global work on gender stats
Manuals, guidelines
& handbooks
Evaluating and improving
definitions, concepts,
methods
Training workshops
& study visits
Improving skills in data
production, analysis
and dissemination
Reports & publications
on women and men
Assisting in data
compilation, analysis
and dissemination
Tasks Forces/Expert Groups
Intl. organizations
Gender Units in CSOs
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International Frameworks
Beijing Platform for Action
Strategic objective H.3.
“Generate and disseminate gender-disaggregated
data and information for planning and evaluation”
Fourth World Conference on Women
(Beijing, September 1995)
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Selected Technical Materials for
Engendering Statistics
• United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD), Handbook for the
Development of National Statistical Databases on Women and
Development, 1989;
• UNSD, Methods of Measuring Women's Participation on the
Informal Sector, 1990;
• UNSD, Methods of Measuring Women's Economic Activity Technical Report, 1993;
• Statistics Sweden, Engendering Statistics: A Tool for Change, 1996;
• Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA),
Guide to Gender-sensitive Indicators, 1997;
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Selected Technical Materials for
Engendering Statistics (cont’d)
• UNSD, Handbook for Producing National Statistical Reports on
Women and Men, 1997;
• UNSD, Women's Indicators and Statistics Database (Wistat),
Version 4, on CD-ROM, 2000;
• UNSD, Indicators for Monitoring MDGs - Definition, Rationale,
Concepts and Sources, 2003;
• United Nations, Guide to Producing Statistics on Time Use:
Measuring Paid and Unpaid Work, 2005;F
• Food and Agriculture Organization, "Gender sensitive indicators: A
key tool for gender mainstreaming," 2001;
• International Labour Organization (ILO), Qualitative and
Quantitative Indicators for the Monitoring and Evaluation
of the ILO Gender Mainstreaming Strategy.
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Statistical Reports and Publications
• The World’s Women: Trends and Statistics
• The World’s Women: 2005 Progress in Statistics
• Progress of the World’s Women
• Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Global
Gender Gap
• Situation of Women (1990)
• Statistics and Indicators on Women in Africa (1989)
• Compendium of Statistics and Indicators on the Situation
of Women (1988)
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Global Gender Statistics Programmes
• UNSD Global Gender Statistics Programme
• World Bank Group Gender Action Plan
• ILO Gender Promotion Programme
• FAO Gender and Development Plan of Action
(2002-2007)
• WHO program on Women, Health and Development
• Others
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Engendering Statistics
The Regional Level
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Engendering statistics:
Regional Level
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Programme development
Projects
Workshops and EGMs
Manuals and Handbooks
Gender-based statistical reports and publications
Gender Virtual Library
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Programme Development

Since 1997, ESCWA in cooperation with a number of UN agencies has
been implementing a a Gender Statistics Programme (GSP) for Arab
countries to their capabilities in the production, use and dissemination
of gender statistics to lead to more effective policies promoting change
for the benefit of women and the advancement of society as a whole

GSP activities have commenced on both the regional and national
levels in 12 Arab countries; the latest in Iraq with funding from
UNDG - ITF
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ESCWA has recently partnered with the World Bank to roll-out a
Capacity Building program on Engendering National Statistical
Systems in the ESCWA Region
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Gender Stats Projects
Scope
Partners
Status
Toward More Gender-Responsive
MDG Monitoring and Reporting
in the Arab Region
Arab
Region
Inter-agency
ESCWA-led
In -progress
Capacity Building program on
Engendering National Statistical
Systems in the ESCWA Region
ESCWA
Region
World
Bank/ESCWA
Forthcoming
Development of National Gender
Statistics in Iraq
NationalIraq
ESCWA/UNDG
In-progress
ITF in cooperation
with COSIT
Interregional cooperation to
strengthen social inclusion,
gender equality and health
promotion in the Millennium
Development Goals
ESCWA
Region
Inter-agency
In-progress
National Gender Statistics
Programmes in the Arab
Countries
Arab
Region – 11
countries
Inter-agency
ESCWA-led
Finalized
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Regional Workshops and EGMs
•
First Regional Workshop (Tunis, 9-14 June 1997)
•
Second Regional Workshop (Jordan, 8-11 June 1999)
•
Third Regional Workshop (Tunis, 5-7 July 2001)
•
Fourth Regional Workshop (Beirut, 17-19 June 2003)
•
Workshop on Gender Statistics as a Tool for Policy
Formulation and Analysis (Beirut, 17-19 June 2003)
•
Inter-agency and Expert Group Meeting on Gender and MDGs
in the Arab Region (Cairo, 10-11 September 2007)
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Handbooks and Manuals
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Gender in the MDGs:
Information Guide for Arab
MDG Reports (2007)
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Handbook on How to Prepare
Statistical Publications on
Women and Men (Arabic
translation)
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Gender-based statistical publications &
reports
Women and Men in the Arab Region:
A Statistical Portrait
Women and Men: Education
Women and Men: Employment
Gender in MDGs: Info
Guide for Arab MDG
Reports
Where Do Arab Women
Stand in the Development
Process?
Arab Women in Public Life
and Leadership
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Gender Virtual Library
http://www.escwa.un.org/divisions/scu/themes/main.asp?ID=2&Theme=G
ender%20Statistics&section=Introduction%20and%20Background
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ESCWA’s Future Work in Gender
Statistics

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Establishment of a Task Force on Gender Statistics to
guide the development of gender statistics in the
ESCWA Region
Review of Arab MDG reports from a Gender Lens
(publication)
Development of a manual on metadata for G Is In
Framework
Training on manual & other capacity building activities
Development of a gender database populated with
national data
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Engendering Statistics
The National Level
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Engendering statistics:
National Level
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National workshops and reports
National publications on women and men
National gender statistics programmes
Mainstreaming gender in NSDS
Gender Focal Points
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National Workshops & Country Reports
 Under the umbrella of the regional project for “ Development
of National Gender Statistics Programmes in the Arab
Countries” 11 countries held national workshops bringing
together users and producers to statistics to discuss national
gender issues and priorities and data requirements
Algeria - Egypt – Jordan- Lebanon – Oman – Palestine – Qatar
– Syria - Tunisia – Yemen
 These countries also prepared national reports that include
national work plans, overviews of national workshops, national
strategies for improving gender statistics, and challenges in the
preparation of national statistical
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Gender-based statistical booklets
National Women and Men Series
Algeria: A Statistical Portrait
Egypt: A Statistical Portrait
Jordan: A Statistical Portrait
Iraq: Women and Men
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
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Engendering Statistics
The Iraq Project
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Engendering statistics:
“Development of National Gender
Statistics in Iraq”
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Led by ESCWA
Supported by UNDG ITF
Implemented in coordination with COSIT since
2006 (expected completion Dec. 2008)
Undertaken in collaboration with UNDP and
other UN agencies
Includes a number of capacity-building activities
and statistical outputs
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National Gender Statistics In Iraq
Gender Stats Unit within COSIT
 2 Statistics Assistants & 1 Administrative Assistant
 ICT equipment
Training workshops
 First National Workshop (Amman, Dec. 06)
 Workshop on Time-use Surveys (Amman, Nov. 07)
 Workshop on NSDS Design: Mainstreaming Gender in Sectoral
Statistics (Istanbul, March 08)
 Dev Info Training (Beirut, July 08)
 Training on database development (Beirut, July 08)
 Second National Workshop (Beirut, Nov 08)
 Workshop on Labour Statistics (Turin, Dec 08)
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National Gender Statistics In Iraq
Fellowships and study visits
 Jordanian Department of Statistics (Amman, November 2007)
 Study Tour on DevInfo – (India, December 2008)
Studies and publication on gender statistics
 Report on assessment of data availability
 Publication on Women and Men
 Booklet on gender stats: results of time-use survey (forthcoming)
 Wall chart on women and men in Iraq (forthcoming)
Photo gallery of gender issues in Iraq (in-progress)
Database and website on gender statistics (forthcoming)
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Thank You
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