The views expressed in this paper are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the

views or policies of the Asian Development Bank ADB), or its Board of Governors, or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this paper and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. The countries listed in this paper do not imply any view on ADB's part as to sovereignty or independent status or necessarily conform to ADB's terminology.

WHY GENDER STATISTICS IS IMPORTANT TO MONITOR THE PROGRESS IN ACHIEVING MDGs

Numbers tell HERstory!
Susann Roth (Social Development Specialist, ADB)

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

All our data are sexdisaggregated anyway. Whats the problem? Business statistics has nothing to do with gender.

Gender statistics is not a statistical field, what is special about it?

We do not want to overburden the respondents.

Nowadays women have the same opportunities as men. So where is the problem?

There is no issue.

The role of women is not an issue in our country. We have resource constraints and we need to concentrate on other areas.

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Achieve each MDG for all

Gender equality and womens empowerment critical to achieving the MDGs. Explicitly, Goal 3 on Gender Equality. Most obviously: Goal 2 on universal primary education; Goal 4 on reducing child mortality; Goal 5 on improving maternal health; Goal 6 on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Gender equality also contributes to Goal 1 on poverty reduction and to economic growth directly through womens increased labor force; participation, productivity and earnings; indirectly through beneficial effects on childrens well-being and the quality of the next generations human resources.
GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Progress made on MDG 3 in Asia and the Pacific

Girls participation at the primary level achieved in most countries, but a few countries lag behind. Girls access to secondary education achieved in many countries.

Education at the tertiary level is less genderinclusive in many countries though some countries have high favorable ratios.
Wage employment in nonagriculture is more favorable to men in most economies. Progress noted on move toward gender parity in national parliaments.
Source: Key Indicator for Asia and the Pacific 2011, ADB GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Progress towards gender equality has been made but.

Womens labor force participation is restricted due to insufficient education, discrimination in wage levels or difficulties in reconciling work and family life. Women provide 70% of agricultural labor, produce over 90% of food, but are not represented in budget deliberations. Women comprise only 10 % of the worlds economy in terms of asset holding and own less than 1 % of the land and real estate. Women remain an under-utilised economic resource.
GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Achievements in Gender Equity using non MDG indicators

Gender Equity Index (GEI) by Region, showing progress between 2004 and 2007
90 80

East Asia & Pacific Latin (excluding America & China) Caribbean

China

Europe

70 Middle East & North Africa

60

63
Central Asia

64

67

69

72

75
North America

50

48 40
India

49
South Asia (excluding India)

53
SubSaharan Africa

40

30

20

50 Region with no data to calculate evolution

Region GEI 2008 500 million people

10

Source: Socialwatch
0

Significant progress

Slight progress

Slight regression

Significant regression

GEI measures the gap between women and men in education, the economy and political empowerment.

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Better targeted development plans are needed

MDGs Gender indicators

Identify gaps to MDGs and country specific gender gaps

Formulate national development goals for gender equality

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Better targeted development plans are needed

National Gender Equality Goals formulated
Plan for Development Results for Men and Women

Evaluate Results

We need indicators for planning, budgeting and monitoring!

Budget for Results

Monitor Results

Implement for Results

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Gender Statistics is important

To name the problem: Policy action usually lack focus, remaining rather vague, more aspirational statements than actionable measures. To inform economic development plans: Gender analyses and available data do not adequately sustain gender sensitive policy proposals for economic programming. To increase awareness: Gender issues often recognized in National Development Strategies, they do not translate into concrete measures to be acted upon.

To monitor achievements: A standard set of verifiable indicators enables progress of monitoring and evaluation.
GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

International Commitments
Beijing Platform for Action (1995) A 2010 review found that after 15 years: Progress cannot be measured in critical areas because of limited or non-existent data; because many gaps remain; since there is a need for increased investment in data collection and analysis.
Source: Commission on the Status of Women 2010 (E/CN.6/2010/CRP.5)

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Sex-disaggregated data provides evidence

Evidence based policy making needs quantitative and qualitative sex-disaggregated data.
GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Indicators are needed at national and international level

Monitoring and Evaluation Public Policy International Reporting CEDAW Beijing Platform MDGs Gender Equality Law Economic Growth Strategies

Flow of data

International commitments

National commitments Provincial

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Gender Statistics Cycle

Political will International commitments Appropriate legislation and policies in place National planning, monitoring and evaluation systems Culture of evidence-based policymaking Emphasis on developing national statistics strategies and systems

Demand exists

Data exist

Regular data collection (surveys, censuses, administrative records) Elimination of gender bias in collection instruments Compliance with international standards and methodologies Effective national statistical system coordination mechanisms Data quality frameworks in place and monitored

Data are used

Good relationships between data users and producers Feedback mechanisms exist Users are confident in understanding and using statistics (statistical literacy)

Data are dissemin ated

Data user groups identified and their needs determined Analyse data Dissemination strategy in place and monitored Methods for disseminating data are appropriate for user needs

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Achievements on Gender Statistics in Central Asia

At regional level: Gender statistics training workshops targeting NSO staff and data users; A regional gender statistics website and database created; Manuals and guidelines developed to support gender mainstreaming in statistics. At national level Efforts have been undertaken to make censuses and surveys gendersensitive; Collections reviewed to capture sex-disaggregated data where possible; Compendiums of Women and Men booklets are regularly published by almost all ten countries .
UNECE Gender Statistics Website and Database http://www.unece.org/stats/gender.html For example, UNSD (http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods.htm) and UNECE (www.unece.org/stats).

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Central, West Asia and the Caucasus

Challenges Data exists

Demand exists

Data exist

Data are used

Poor coordination between data-producing agencies resulting in gaps in data collection, limited data comparability, and duplication of effort. Lack of consultation between data producers and users leading to limited understanding of users needs and the extent data provided meet those needs.

Data are disse minat ed

Obstacles to collecting gender-related data such as cultural issues, civil unrest (in some countries), employing trained enumerators, and reaching remote communities. Little success in developing statistics needed to influence policies, legislation, plans, and budgets and lead to positive outcomes for gender equality.
GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Central, West Asia and the Caucasus

Challenges Data is disseminated

Limited capacity in analysing and presenting statistics.
Lack of resources, both human and financial.

Demand exists

Data exist

Data are used

Data are disse minat ed

Less emphasis on data dissemination and communication than on collection and processing.

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Central, West Asia and the Caucasus

Demand exists

Data exist

Data is used
In Azerbaijan, Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, consultations with data users preceded international reporting and the production of gender statistics publications. Data is to some extend used by national womens machinery.

Data are used

Data are disse minat ed

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Central, West Asia and the Caucasus

Challenges Data is used

Demand exists

Data exist

Data are used

Data are disse minat ed

Little evidence of regular consultation with users to discuss emerging needs and monitor the use of gender statistics. Only Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan have established such a mechanism for the use of gender statistics. A key challenge is the capacity of users to access, understand, analyse, interpret and use statistics. Gender statistics not yet used for policy-making.

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Central, West Asia and the Caucasus

Legislative Framework for Gender Statistics is needed

Kyrgyz Republic Turkmenistan Afghanistan Kazakhstan

The statistics act explicitly calls for the production of gender statistics. Another act explicitly calls for the production of gender statistics. Gender equality plan requires statistics. The statistical strategy includes the provision of gender statistics. A national framework of gender indicators exists.

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

Uzbekistan

Azerbaijan

Tajikistan

Armenia

Pakistan

Georgia

Identifying appropriate indicators is crucial

Policy interventions target wrong problem, or target only one of multiple reinforcing constraints.

MDG 3 emphasis on primary and secondary education but not on employment.

Employment data often only covers formal employment but most women are in the informal sector.

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

International community working on a gender statistics framework

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

National Statistic Systems

Ensemble of statistical organizations and units within a country that jointly collects, process and disseminate official statistics on behalf of national Government.

National Statistic Agency Line Ministries Local Government units National Women Machinery

Source of Definition: OECD Glossary; Source of Graph: NSO Japan

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

A Vision
In year X X number of women employed in formal sector X number of employed in informal sector X number of women provided with access to micro-credit etc., etc. M&E of national programs Development of new programs with targets

button push

EVIDENCE BASED POLICY MAKING

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!

THANK YOU!

GENDER & DEVELOPMENT - GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT!