Disparities exist between women and men’s economic, social and
political empowerment. Although gender equality may be engrained in
legal text, discrimination continues. Gender statistics are needed
to provide a factual representation of the status and roles of women
and men in society. Gender statistics are the basis for national
gender policies aimed at improving the situation of women and a
foundation for programmes promoting sustainable development. Gender
statistics also serve as a tool for evaluating such policies.
What
are gender statistics?
Gender statistics are numerical information collected and
presented to reflect the status of women in comparison to men.
They draw on all fields of national statistical systems and
require the collection and presentation of all data by sex
(girls and boys, women and men). Gender issues are integrated
into the production of gender statistics so that they reflect
the problems and needs of women in relation to men.
Gender Parity
Indices a a for Economic Activity and Adult Unemployment
Rates
in ESCWA Member Countries, Latest Year Available b
Notes:
a) Gender parity indices (GPI) are calculated as the ratio of women
to men. A value less than 1 implies an inequality in favor of men, a
value greater that 1 implies an inequality in favour of women and a
value of women implies equality.
b) Country data for GPI for economic activity rates pertain to the
year 2000. GPI for adult unemployment rates pertain to the year
2001,with the exceptions of Lebanon and Yemen whose date pertain to
the years 1997 and 1999 respectively.
Source: ILO LABORSTA database accessed at www.ilo.org.
How are they
produced?
The production of gender statistics draws on the work of all
national statistical offices. The process is based on
user-producer collaboration and is illustrated in the
production process diagram on the right.
Users of gender statistics shed light on gender issues,
national policies and gender-specific programmes. They also
provide input on the availability, accessibility and quality
of gender statistics.
Producers respond by mainstreaming gender issues into the
production of gender statistics and by improving statistical
methods and concepts to address data gaps. Producers also
provide guidance in the correct use of gender statistics
amongst users that are not trained in statistics.
Whose responsibility is it to produce gender statistics?
A number of international conventions, such as the
Beijing Platform for Action and the proceedings of the
Beijing +5 conference, underscore the importance of
mainstreaming gender statistics into national, regional and
international policies and programmes. They also emphasize
the role of governmental organizations in the generation and
dissemination of gender-based statistics for planning and
evaluation purposes.
International bodies, such as the United Nations, have a role
to play as well. According to objective H3 of the Platform,
international agencies should assist in the production of
disaggregated gender data, improvement of concepts and methods
of data collection, as well as strengthening vital statistical
systems and the incorporation of gender analysis into
publications and research work.
