1. Integrating Gender into Population and Housing Censuses
Margaret Mbogoni
Demographic and Social Statistics Branch
Statistics Division, DESA
United Nations, New York

2. What are gender statistics?
Gender statistics is about identifying, producing, disseminating, and analyzing statistics to understand how gender issues affect individuals and society
Gender statistics is not about women only, but about the role of both women and men in society
It’s about making better statistics

3. What are gender statistics?
Statistics reflecting gender issues
in all relevant policy areas
Quality statistics by sex, age and other relevant characteristics

4. Integrating a gender perspective in statistical production
Requires taking into consideration the different cultural, economic, social and political factors shaping the lives of women and men at all stages of the production of statistics
The process of ensuring that all statistics adequately reflect the situation of women and men is referred to as gender mainstreaming. It means taking into consideration the different cultural, economic, social and political factors shaping the lives of women and men at all stages of the production of statistics….that is,

5. Integrating a gender perspective into population and housing censuses
Should take place at all stages of the census operation:
-Tabulations
-Analysis
Planning &
Design
Data
Collection &
Processing
Analysis
Presentation &
Dissemination
Methods
-Government commitment
-Consultations on content and operations
-Topic selection
-Publicity campaign
Specifically, in the census, areas that need to be considered in order to improve the quality of the data collected from a gender perspective, include:
-Concepts, definitions, classifications (language used)
-Recruitment of field staff
-Training of field staff on gender sensitization
-Respondent selection
-Checking, imputation

6. Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design
Government and institutional commitment
Gender sensitization and awareness
Identify and take into account gender issues, various stereotypes and biases, and social and cultural factors, as well as research methodologies that might produce gender bias
Statistical systems that produce relevant data for development of policy on gender equality

7. Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design
Consultations with gender specialists (user-producer dialogue)
Review existing data, concepts, methods, topics, publicity campaign and advocate for improvements to better reflect activities and contributions made by women and men
Identify their own data needs  
Objective of the user-producer efforts is not simply better information on women and men, but improvements in measuring the realities of economic and social life

8. Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design
Topic specifications: Consider relevant gender issues
Household head/reference person
Detailed household relationships
Marital status
Work and economic activity
Access to and ownership of assets
Unpaid work
School attendance
Fertility
Add new question(s)
Expand response categories to a question
Change how questions are asked to make them less gender-biased

9. Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design
Concepts, definitions, classifications where biases predominate
Household relationships
Marital status
Definition of work
Publicity campaign for the census
Raise awareness about gender issues in general public
Publicity material concerning gender issues

10. Census planning and design: An example
Topic specification: Access to and ownership of assets
Example: Nepal 2011 Census introduced individual level questions on ownership of house and land for female household members
Does any female member of household own a house in any part of Nepal?
Does any female member of household own land in any part of Nepal?
Women are less likely than men to own and control assets. They also own different types of assets. Differential ownership and control of assets results in differential economic vulnerability. Data however on ownership of assets is collected at the household level. Censuses can be designed to better capture women’s and men’s ownership of assets by collecting the information at the individual level.
Source: Engendering Population Census in South and West Asia: Collected Papers. UNFPA, 2004.

11. Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Methods
Concepts, definitions and classifications: Review adequacy
Household head
Work and economic activity
Marital status
Unit of collection: Define appropriate level
Access to and control over assets
Reference period
Consider timing of seasonal activities
Questionnaire and language: Consider choice of words
Give examples of activities to better capture gender issues, e.g., women’s work

12. Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Data collection and processing
Enumerator hiring and training
Gender balance in hiring
Focus training on meaning and use of concepts relevant to gender issues
Raise awareness among enumerators of sex-based stereotypes
Respondent selection
Consider impact of male/female respondent
Consider presence of other persons during interview
Checking and imputation
Avoid imputations based on gender stereotypes, e.g., coding of occupational groups

13. Integrating a gender perspective into census data collection: An example
State of Palestine 2007 census, females made up:
53% of the total employed staff
20% of the top management of the census staff
55% of the enumerators
46% of the fieldwork supervisors
57% of editing and coding staff
58% of data entry staff

14. Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation
Tabulation and analysis
Include sex and age
Include other relevant characteristics
Emphasize key gender issue in data presentation
Provide simple, clear message

15. Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation
Presenting data by sex may not be enough to highlight key gender issues
Source: Labour Force Survey, October 2014, Office for National Statistics, UK

16. Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation
When disaggregated by other relevant characteristics, in this case parental status, the gender issue become apparent. There are no differences between the employment rates of women and men with no dependent children. However, there is a significant gap in the employment rate of women with dependent children compared to that of men with dependent children.
Source: Labour Force Survey, October 2014, Office for National Statistics, UK

17. Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation
Including more detailed information, further evidences the key gender pattern. In this case, presenting the employment rates by the age of dependent children evidences a clear difference in the employment of women and men. Women with at least one dependent child less than 5 years old have an employment rate of 55%, while men in the same circumstances have a rate of 91%--almost double that of women. The age of the youngest child greatly affect the employment rate of the mothers, which varies from 55% for women with smaller children to 79% for women with the youngest child years old. For men, the age of children has no impact on their employment rate, which is around 90% regardless of the age of the children. This suggests that women are more likely than men to leave employment when they have children, and remain unemployed to take care of their offspring.
Source: Labour Force Survey, October 2014, Office for National Statistics, UK

18. Employment Rate for Women and Men by Presence of Young Children, Ireland - 2011
Source: Women and Men in Ireland, 2011, Central Statistics Office, Ireland

19. Summary Gender statistics is about making better statistics
Gender mainstreaming should be conducted at all stages in the census production process:
From planning and design
Through methods, field operations and data processing
To data tabulation, analysis and presentation

20. Thank you
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