Presentation Transcript

1. 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!
2. “All our data are sex-disaggregated anyway. What’s the problem?” “Gender statistics is not a statistical field, what is special about it?” “Business statistics has nothing to do with gender.” “We do not want to overburden the respondents.” “The role of women is not an issue in our country. We have resource constraints and we need to concentrate on other areas.” “Nowadays women have the same opportunities as men. So where is the problem?” “There is no issue.” Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
3. Achieve each MDG for all Gender equality and women’s 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 women’s increased labor force; participation, productivity and earnings; indirectly through beneficial effects on children’s well-being and the quality of the next generation’s human resources. Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
4. 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 gender- inclusive in many countries though some countries have high favorable ratios. ✖Wage employment in nonagricultureis 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!
5. Progress towards gender equality has been made but…. Women’s 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 world’s economy in terms of asset holding and own less than 1 % of the land and real estate. Women remain an under-utilisedresource. Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
6. Achievements in Gender Equity using non MDG indicators Gender Equity Index (GEI) by Region, showing progress between 2004 and 2007 «« GEI measures the gap between women and men in education, the economy and political empowerment. Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
7. Better targeted development plans are needed Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
8. Better targeted development plans are needed National Gender Equality Goals formulated We need indicators for planning, budgeting and monitoring! Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
9. 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!
10. 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!
11. Sex-disaggregated data provides evidence … Evidencebasedpolicymakingneeds quantitative and qualitative sex-disaggregateddata. Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
12. Indicators are needed at national and international level Monitoring and Evaluation Public Policy International Reporting CEDAW Beijing Platform MDGs Flow of data Gender Equality Law Economic Growth Strategies Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
13. Gender Statistics Cycle Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
14. Achievements on Gender Statistics in Central Asia At regionallevel: 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 nationallevel Efforts have been undertaken to make censuses and surveys gender-sensitive; 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!
15. Central, West Asia and the Caucasus Challenges “Data exists” 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. 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!
16. Central, West Asia and the Caucasus Challenges “Data is disseminated” Limited capacity in analysing and presenting statistics. Lack of resources, both human and financial. Less emphasis on data dissemination and communication than on collection and processing. Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
17. Central, West Asia and the Caucasus 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 women’s machinery. Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
18. Central, West Asia and the Caucasus Challenges “Data is used” 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!
19. Central, West Asia and the Caucasus Legislative Framework for Gender Statistics is needed   Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
20. Identifying appropriate indicators is crucial Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
21. International community working on a gender statistics framework Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!
22. 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!
23. 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!
24. THANK YOU! Gender & Development - Getting the Balance right!