Measuring power and
decision-making from a
gender perspective
Session outline
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Demands for data
Three main indicators
Data sources
Female legislators, senior officials and managers
Women’s share of national parliament
Practical activity: making the case for change
Women in power and decision-making
Increasing women’s representation in powerful and decision-making
positions a critical area of concern (Beijing Platform of Action (1995))
Women's share of parliamentary seats (%)
50
Equal representation (50%)
40
30
22.6
20
11.3
10
0
1995
2015
Three main indicators
1. Female legislators, senior officials and managers (% of
total)
2. Women’s share of members of national parliament (%)
3. Women’s share of senior level civil servants (%)
•
•
•
•
•
Core ministers
Heads of universities
Board members
Judges
Police officers
Data sources
Indicator
Data source
Female legislators, senior officials and
managers (% of total)
Labour force surveys
Population and housing censuses
Any survey that collects occupation
Women’s share of members of
national parliament (%)
National parliament records
Women’s share of senior level civil
servants (%)
National civil service authority
Labour Force Surveys
Population censuses
Any survey that collects occupation
Female legislators, senior officials
and managers (% of total)
• Based on occupation
• International Standard
Classification of
Occupations (ISCO)
• Major Group 1
• 1988 version:
Legislators,
senior officials and
managers
• 2008: Managers
High representation of women among the top jobs
2001 2012 2007 2012 2010 2012 2012 2012 2009
Female share (%) of legislators, senior officials and managers, selected
countries, latest year available
Belarus
46.2
Republic of Moldova
44.1
Ukraine
39.9
Russian Federation
39.1
Kazakhstan
37.2
Azerbaijan
34.2
Georgia
34
Kyrgyzstan
32.3
Armenia
23.9
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Percent (%)
35
40
45
50
Source: ILO (2015), Women in Business and Management: Gaining Momentum, Global Report. ILO: Geneva.
How to interpret and use this indicator
• Wide variation across countries and regions
• the majority in three countries (Jamaica: 59.3%; Colombia:
53.1%; and Saint Lucia: 52.3%)
• a miniscule share in countries like Pakistan (3.0%), Algeria
(4.9%), Jordan (5.1%), and Bangladesh (5.4%)
• Examine changes over time
• Look at different forms of management
• Policy interventions
• affirmative action to attract and retain women in senior
positions
• leadership training for women
• identifying role models and champions to encourage women
to enter management
Women’s share of members of
national parliament (%)
• Single or lower house
of national parliament
• % of occupied seats
• Update after
elections, bi-elections,
other changes to
parliament
Women in Kyrgyzstan parliament just above global average
Women’s share of members of national parliament (%), 2010-2015
50%
40%
30%
23.3%
Percent (%)
20%
21.8%
Global average is 22.6% (2015)
19.0%
16.0%
15.6%
13.6%
12.1%
11.3%
10.7%
10%
0%
Notes: Azerbaijian and Kyrgyzstan data refers to 2010; for Russian Federation data refer to 2011; for Armenia and Georgia data
refers to 2012; for Republic of Moldova, Ukraine and Ukbekistan data refers to 2014; and for Tajikistan data refer to 2015.
Source: Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU) (www.ipu.org/wmn-e/classif.htm )
How to interpret and use this indicator
• Presence in parliament does not guarantee
influence
• Cabinet / core ministers
• Role on parliamentary commitees
• Existence of quotas (temporary special measures)
• Reserved seats for women
• Percentage of candidates
• Consider sub-national and local government
• Voter registration and turnout
Practical activity:
Making the case for change
Task
Based on the data provided in the handouts, identify
statistics you can use to argue the case for a policy to
increase women’s representation in powerful
positions (you have 30 minutes).
Prepare a brief (2-3 minute) presentation on flip
chart paper to make your case.