Experiences with Gendered
Statistics and Data in Denmark
CREDIT, Tunisia July 2013
Karen Sjørup, associate professor Department of
Society and Globalisation
Roskilde University
Denmark
Gender equality has been on the
political agenda for many years
• 1915 Political rights
• 1973 member of the EU and EU gender
equality regulation
• 1975 Gender equality board
• 2000 Ministerium for Gender Equality and
gender equality Minister of the Govermnent
Observatory?
• Vi have no gender observatory in Denmark, but
• The Ministry and NGOs fought for getting all
national statistics gender segregated
• For a number of years a yearly gender statistics
pamphlet on gender issues according to a
number of indicators
• EU gender expert networks since the 1990s made
a high number of comparative gender surveys in
all member countries on: Political rights,
economic status of women, gender pay gap,
gender division of labour etc.
Gender Research or Feminist Studies
• Since the late 1970s gender research has been a
research subject in most Danish universities
• In the 1990s a special programme was made by the
government to improve the conditions for young
female researchers. A number of associate professors
were appointed in gender studies and a sum og
research money was allocated to the subject
• This was very influenced by the 1970s “redstocking”
movement that was were active in Denmark
• Gender research is an important source to highlight the
subjects not covered by statistics.
Gender Mainstreaming
• UN: Beijing 1995, EU: Maastricht treaty 1997
• Since 2000 the authorities in Denmark are obliged to gender
mainstream all proposals for new laws and activities
• This still isn’t done
• The municipalities are supposed to send in a gender report every
second year reporting on their activities both in establishing a
gender balance in the staffs at all levels and gender mainstreaming
all policies and activities. Usually thei only report on personell
matters.
• The ministries are supposed to make a relevance test when
preparing new laws and when relevant make a gender assessment.
Most laws are considered ‘not gender relevant’ meaning that the
ministries do not have to make the extra work to make a gender
assessment.
Global Gender Gap
World Economic Forum
• Ranking on the basis of indicators 135
countries in the world
• Tunisia is not covered in the 2012 report due
to missing information
• I use the 2011 report in order to compare the
ranking on the four main indikators: Economic
participation and opportunities, educational
attainment, health and survival and political
empowerment
Ranking According to Global Gender
Gap
Tunisia
Overall ranking
108
Economic
Participation
and
Opportunity
126
Educational
Attainment
94
Health and
Survival
110
Denmark
Spain
France