1. Integrating a Gender Perspective into Statistics
Haoyi Chen
Social and Housing Statistics Section
United Nations Statistics Division

2. Outline
Overview
Integrating a gender perspective into official statistics
What are gender statistics?
How are gender statistics produced?
Plan for developing gender statistics
Results of the Global Survey on National Programmes on Gender Statistics

3. + + + What are gender statistics? Gender statistics =
Gender statistics are defined as statistics that adequately reflect differences and inequalities in the situation of women and men in all areas of life (UN World’s Women 2005).
Gender statistics =
1 Data are collected and presented disaggregated by sex; +
2 Data are reflecting gender issues; +
3 Data are based on concepts and definitions that adequately reflect the diversity of women and men and capture all aspects of their lives; +
4 Data collection methods take into account stereotypes and social and cultural factors that may induce gender biases. 3

4. Gender issues - examples
Do girls and boys have equal access to basic education?
Do women and men have the equal access to labour market?
Do women and men spend the same amount of time in caring for children?
Do households spend the same amount of income for girls’ and boys’ education, health and nutrition?
Are women underrepresented in parliament?
Are men at higher risk than women for accidental deaths?
How wide-spread is physical and sexual violence against women?

5. Concepts and definitions that capture gender differences
Old definition of “work” does not take into consideration the production of services for own use, greatly under-estimated women’s contribution to the economy

6. Data collection with gender bias
Employed: people might not understand what it means. Women (or proxy respondent – head of household) tend to under-estimate the value of women’s work and report them not employed/working.

7. Confusion between “sex” and “gender” still persists among producers and users of statistics.
“Sex” refers to biological differences
“Gender” refers to socially constructed differences in attributes and opportunities associated with being female or male and the social interactions and relationships (including power relationships) between women and men
Data are disaggregated by sex, not by gender

8. How are gender statistics produced?

9. Two contrasting models of production of gender statistics
Model 1 “Add-on”
Compilation and dissemination of existing sex-disaggregated data
Model 2 “Mainstream”
Gender is taken into account in all stages of data production (planning, data collection, data analysis, data dissemination) and in all statistical fields.

10. Model 1: Production of gender statistics as an “add-on”
Limited coverage of gender issues
Concepts and methods of data collection may not be gender sensitive
Products of dissemination perceived as “for women’s advocates only”
Gender statistics marginalized among other fields of statistics
Fail to reach a wide range of users, particularly policy makers, researchers and analysts in domains other than gender equality
Their production may be more dependent on irregular economic and human resources

11. Model 2: Gender mainstreamed in national statistics
(It means that gender is brought into the “mainstream” of all statistical activities rather than dealt with as an “add-on”)
Coverage of gender issues are decided from the stage of planning of data collection
Concepts and methods of data collection are chosen to be gender-sensitive
Dissemination of gender statistics are incorporated in regular publications or databases, therefore they reach a wider audience
A more sustainable production of gender statistics
Improved quality of data produced by national statistical systems

12. In summary: Gender Statistics-mainstreaming
More than data disaggregated by sex
Respond to the needs of policy makers, advocates, researchers, the media and the public
Gender dimension is integrated at all stages of data production (planning, data collection, data analysis, data dissemination) and in all statistical fields 12

13. Four-step plan for developing gender statistics
Identify gender issues (user-producer cooperation is key)
Identify data needed to address those gender issues
Assess the availability and quality of existing gender statistics
If gap between data needed and existing data
Better exploitation, tabulation and dissemination of existing data;
Collection of new data,
Development of new gender-sensitive concepts and methods 13

14. Mainstreaming a gender perspective into national statistical system requires:
Leadership and political will at all levels
Specification of formal requirements of gender statistics in the national statistical legislation
Cooperation between users and producers of statistics
Collaboration of NSOs with other institutions for developing and improving concepts and methods
Training of statisticians
Re-focus of activities and position of gender units and gender focal points within the national statistical systems

15. Global review of Gender Statistics Programmes in countries

16. Global Review - Objectives
Conduct a review of gender statistics in national statistical systems
Mandated by 2011 UN Statistical Commission
Answers received in 2012 from 126 NSOs from 5 UN regions
Obtain information on how gender perspectives are mainstreamed
Identify good practices and challenges in integrating gender into the production and use of statistics

17. Global Review: 5 main topics
Institutional arrangements
Production (including data collection) of gender statistics
Addressing users’ needs
Assessment of mainstreaming gender into national statistical system
Legal framework

18. Global Review: 5 main topics
Institutional arrangements
Production (including data collection) of gender statistics
Addressing users’ needs
Assessment of mainstreaming gender into national statistical system
Legal framework

19. 4. Assessment of mainstreaming gender into national statistical system
Mainstreaming/integrating a gender perspective into statistics means that gender issues and gender-based biases are taken into account systematically, in the production of all official statistics and at all stages of data production.
86%

20. 1. Institutional arrangements Gender Statistics Entities
Question 1: Gender statistics entities
Type of gender statistics entity
% countries by type of gender statistics entity
ESCWA (N=14)
All countries (N=126)
Gender statistics focal point /desk in NSO
21.4
68.2
Gender focal points in different government ministries/agencies
49.2
Gender statistics working groups, advisory group
50.0
31.7
Gender statistics dedicated office within the NSO
28.6
31.0
Gender statistics section in different government ministries/agencies
35.7
27.8
Gender statistics focal point/officer in different offices within the NSO
27.0 - + - +

21. 1. Institutional arrangements Budgets
Questions 4 and 6: Budgets for gender statistics
ESCWA
All
% with a dedicated gender statistics budget
7.1
12.7
% with ad-hoc funds but no dedicated budget
64.3
48.4
% without dedicated budget or ad-hoc funds
28.6
38.9

22. 2. Production of Gender Statistics

23. Mixed progress in gender statistics
Global recognition of the importance of Gender Statistics as
shown by the existence of dedicated entities/focal points
Some areas are well-covered
Increased availability of statistics and gender statistics mainly due to improved dissemination of sex-disaggregated statistics;
Yet,

24. Mixed progress in gender statistics
Quality gender statistics are still lacking in many countries:
Data scarcity in areas such as poverty; time use; violence against women; environment
Data not collected in some countries
Data already collected not adequately disseminated
Data disseminated not disaggregated enough to allow the identification of population groups where gender differences are more pronounced

25. Re-cap Gender statistics are more than data disaggregated by sex
“Sex” and “gender” not interchangeable
Gender statistics have to respond to the needs of policy makers, advocates, researchers, the media and the public
Gender should be integrated at all stages of data production and in all statistical fields (=gender mainstreaming)
Four-step plan for developing gender statistics
Identify gender issues (user-producer cooperation is key)
Identify data needed to address those gender issues
Assess the availability and quality of existing gender statistics
Use the information on the gap between data needed and existing data as a basis for developing a plan for gender statistics.

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