Educational Statistics Presentation on issues and data requirements Regional Training Workshop to Improve Use of Existing Data for Monitoring Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa. 26-28 September 2011, Kampala, Uganda Integrating a gender perspective into Educational Statistics Presentation on issues and data requirements Opoku Manu Asare 1/17/2019

What Presentation Seeks to Do Consider the requirements for compiling indicators for SDGs monitoring Establish the context in which these indicators are to be developed Consider how to make the monitoring effective and relevant for gender equality in all dimensions 1/17/2019

Outline Overview – Purpose of presentation Educational participation Schooling environment Outcome of formal education Non-formal adult education and training Scientific and technological knowledge Issues of gender and data Integration Conceptual and measurement issues 1/17/2019

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Overview Gender statistics is: Developing gender statistics A field of statistics Like any other Cuts across all traditional statistical fields Relevant to the entire statistical system Developing gender statistics Requires that the statistical processes be applied diligently to this field Calls for commitment to introduce new approaches to be client-responsive 15 December 2008

Where are we… SDGs were adopted by all UN Member States All countries expected to monitor progress One goal – Goal 5 is devoted to Gender Equality Indicators have been defined for monitoring All statistics should be disaggregated not just by sex, but also by age, socioeconomic and geographic characteristics SO AS TO – know who is being LEFT BEHIND 1/17/2019

Before SDGs there was… Beijing Platform for Action (1995)… calls on national, regional and international statistical institutions to: Ensure that statistics related to individuals are collected, compiled, analysed and presented by sex and age, and reflect problems, issues and questions related to women and men in society 15 December 2008

Four major phases in statistics production process Defining data requirements Statistics required from various fields Defining issues Relevant statistics/indicators Dissemination Problems and questions on gender issues in society AND Required improvements in the situation of women and men Assembling data Statistics to be analysed Available statistics Data gaps Analysis Determine data sources Presentation Review quality Other sources Dissemination Review concepts, methods, classifications, etc. Collect new data

Gender issues on Education In many Sub-Sahara African countries, girls and boys do not have equal access to basic education Girls are less likely than Boys to enter primary schooling Nevertheless, once enrolled, girls tend to progress as well as or even better than boys Primary education completion rates remain higher for boys than for girls in most regions. The extent to which girls are disproportionately excluded from education MORE at the secondary than at the primary level; and INCREASES further from the lower to the upper secondary levels 1/17/2019

Educational participation Gender issues – Some influences Poverty, longer hours of work, distance to school, schooling environment and factors related to puberty, early marriage or pregnancy tend to disproportionately affect girls’ school participation and completion relative to boys’ at secondary level. Poverty -- Children from poor households are more likely than their peers to be out of school; There may be locations where boys are more affected Long hours of work affect children’s school attendance, especially girls’. Both girls and boys may be engaged in work activities, but boys are more likely to be employed, while girls are more likely to do unpaid housework (Huebler, 2008; United Nations, 2010). The number of female students in tertiary institutions has been growing and, in many regions Female enrolment rates in tertiary education have surpassed male enrolment rates (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2010a). 1/17/2019

Data required Based on school administrative records, several types of data can be used New entrants in primary education by sex and age; Pupils enrolled in primary education by sex, age and grade; New entrants in secondary education by sex and age; Students enrolled in secondary education by sex, age, grade Repeaters by sex, grade and level of education Students enrolled in tertiary education by sex, ISCED level and field of study Tertiary education graduates by sex and field of study. 1/17/2019

Data required While the gender gap at the national level may be modest, considerable gender inequalities in education may exist among subgroups Urban/rural areas and other geographical areas Ethnicity Wealth status of the child’s household and parent’s education. International Standard Classification of Education (ISCED) level and type of programme Qualitative information on reasons for not attending school or dropping out by sex and level of education Reasons for not attending school or dropping out Household-related factors such as insufficient economic resources to cover the expenses 1/17/2019

Data Sources School administrative records are the source for school enrolment, new entrants, repeaters and graduates. To calculate various indicators of educational participation, population data disaggregated by sex and age are needed from other sources, such as Population censuses Population registers Household based sample surveys Population projections School attendance by sex, age and level of education are from household surveys and population censuses 1/17/2019

Household Sample surveys (Examples) Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS), the Core Welfare Indicators Questionnaire (CWIQ) and the Living Standards Measurement Study (LSMS). Child Labour Surveys Can collect data on the involvement of girls and boys in and out of school Qualitative information on reasons for not attending school or dropping out by sex and level of education: Reasons for not attending school or dropping out may refer to: Household-related factors such as insufficient economic resources to cover the expenses 1/17/2019

Schooling environment Gender issues Where single sex schooling is the norm, local schools may be available for boys only or girls only. Long distances to school and safety and privacy concerns may keep girls out of school Teaching and learning environment could create gender problems and gender stereotypes (UNESCO, 2003; UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2010a) such as Inadequate sanitation facilities for girls Lack of separate toilets for girls and boys Potential threats from physical and sexual abuse by other students or teachers also keep girls out of school. Underrepresentation of women among teaching staff Textbooks and other teaching materials often contain gender-based biases 1/17/2019

Data required Data needed to analyse schooling environment from a gender perspective are: Teachers by sex and instruction level; Schools by availability of separate toilets for girls and boys; Children not attending school for reasons, such as: Lack of transportation Incidence of abuse by other students or teachers Lack of separate toilets for girls and boys Qualitative information on gender biases in curricular content can be used as background information when analysing statistics related to educational participation and schooling environment Additional breakdowns that would account for disparities in infrastructure, such as urban/rural areas or geographical areas, should be considered 1/17/2019

Outcome of formal education Gender issues Traditionally, women have had fewer educational opportunities than men, owing to: Differences in gender roles and expectations Educational policies that did not take into account gender specific barriers in access to schooling. Great gender disparities in adult literacy continue to exist But disparities in youth literacy have narrowed (United Nations, 2010; UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2011). 1/17/2019

Outcome of formal education Gender issues These differences are reflected in current gender disparities in literacy and educational attainment. Gender disparities in educational attainment persist in the less developed regions, where substantial proportions of the population are concentrated at the primary level of educational attainment women’s lack of education has a significant impact on their family wellbeing. Women’s education is an important factor in marriage and fertility patterns. A low level of education for women is often associated with early marriage and high fertility. It may also be associated with poor health status for both women and members of their household, particularly their children. Immunization, child nutrition and child survival may be significantly improved when the mother has a higher level of education. 1/17/2019

Data required Two types of data are usually needed to analyse outcome of formal education. They are: Literacy by sex and age; It is also important that literacy is disaggregated by other variables, such as school attainment or type of learning programme, in order to identify strategies for improving literacy. Educational attainment (highest level of education attained) by sex. Variations in educational characteristics among the corresponding population subgroups are important input in defining specific educational. Additional breakdowns required are urban/rural areas, geographical areas and ethnicity. Policy measures at a more decentralized level. 1/17/2019

Non-formal adult education and training Gender issues Women tend to participate less than men in training in large companies where men dominate the managerial positions associated with more frequent opportunities for training. In the less developed regions, women use agricultural extension services less often than men Women’s role in the agricultural economy has been overlooked because their traditional products are consumed within the household or sold locally more often than men’s Women’s heavy workload limits their time available to participate in extension services meetings 1/17/2019

Data requirement Participation in non-formal education and training by sex Participation in continuing vocational training in enterprises by sex Use of agricultural extension services by sex. 1/17/2019

Scientific and technological knowledge Gender issues Women tend to be underrepresented among researchers . Lower proportions of women in research are partially explained by the fact that men outnumber women in science-related fields of study at the level of doctorates, PhDs or other advanced research degrees the fields of engineering and computing are most clearly dominated by men. In the life sciences, including medicine, on the other hand, women are more likely to be predominant. Women are less likely than men to be employed in the private sector of research and experimental development than in the public sector 1/17/2019

Scientific and technological knowledge Gender issues Fewer women than men are found on scientific boards and in other decision making positions. In the less developed regions, gender differences in computer and Internet use are difficult to assess owning to a lack of data 1/17/2019

Data requirement Data on scientific and technological knowledge usually refer to: Researchers by sex and field of science; Members of scientific boards by sex; Internet users by sex and age; Persons using mobile/cellular telephones by sex and age. 1/17/2019

Sources of data Population census School census School administrative records Household surveys (DHS, MICS, CWIQ, LSMS) Child labour surveys Qualitative studies on curricular Enterprise surveys Multipurpose household surveys Annual reports of extension offices Household or individual ICT surveys NOTE: Sources are not equally applicable or relevant in all cases. 1/17/2019

Issues of gender and data Integration Senior level commitment and leadership towards gender mainstreaming Training and awareness raising on gender inequalities in health and the benefits of gender mainstreaming Collection and Collation of gender and sex-disaggregated data Consultations with women’s and men’s organisations, service users, health care unions and staff Gender proofing: assessing gender relevance and carrying out gender impact assessments Planning and Delivery of Services Demonstration Projects in specific services Monitoring and Evaluation 1/17/2019

Key Steps to Integrating Gender Perspectives into Educational Statistics Laws and regulations Policies, programmes and projects Develop curricula to deal with gender issues and statistics Designing energy research and studies Develop and implement strategies Engage stakeholder dialogue, consultation Adopt protocols and intentions convections

Conceptual and measurement issues Children who are enrolled but not attending school are included in enrolment statistics Statistics collected from administrative records enrolled students or repeaters public school system (United Nations, 2006) Not all aspects of schooling environment with gender-specific impact can be easily measured. Literacy statistics based on self-reporting or proxy reporting may overestimate literacy rates for children, women or other persons considered dependants (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2008). Non-formal adult education and training has not been part of the regular programme of data collection in national statistical offices and ministries of education. 1/17/2019

Conceptual and measurement issues The share of women among researchers may be overestimated when only public universities and public research facilities are covered by statistics, as the private sector of research is more male-dominated than the public sector. Some gender-specific aspects of ICT use are not yet captured through statistics 1/17/2019

Exercise List two gender issues in education in your community List two gender issues in education at your workplace List two gender issues in education at national level How are you mainstreaming education issues into your decision making at home 1/17/2019

End THANK YOU 1/17/2019