Gender institutional framework: Implications for household surveys

1. Gender institutional framework: Implications for household surveys Global Forum on Gender Statistics, Rome, Italy: 10 – 12 Dec 2007 Session 8: Engendering Household Surveys – Measuring Work Cyril Parirenyatwa 7 December 2007

2. Introduction • commitments to gender equality/equity • Need for gender mainstreaming policies, programmes and budgets • gender statistics input to policy formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation • enabling environment for gendered surveys depends on number of interrelated factors • Presentation on gender institutional framework and implications on surveys for measuring work e.g. Labour Force Surveys

3. Driving forces for engendered statistics • International and regional agreements • Zimbabwe is party / signatory to international/regional agreements on gender equity and equality • Adopted three goals as priority Goal 3: promote gender equality and empower women and Goals 1 & 6 • National policymaking developments – Constitutional and legislative framework: • National Gender Policy (2004) and Plan of Action • National gender machinery composed of: Ministry; Gender Focal Points (GFP) - ministries/parastatals; trained in gender mainstreaming; private sector to be included later

4. National policymaking developments • National gender machinery (contd) • Equal opportunities legislation and anti-discrimination laws to safeguard against discrimination • Gender Budgeting and Results Based Budgeting principles, • Long / Medium term plans: Vision 2020; Zimbabwe United National Development Assistance Frame (ZUNDAF); Zimbabwe Economic Development Strategy (ZEDS, 2009 – 2015: under preparation); Thematic groups on gender. • Other measures : Affirmative Action; differential entry requirements into institutions of higher learning for the girl child; jjoint custody of children; women’s ownership of land.

5. Engendering Household Surveys Measuring Work - facilitating conditions – results of driving forces: • Census and Statistics Legislation, 2007 • Establishes Semi-autonomous Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) with Board with at least half of the members being women. • Board to approve national censuses and surveys conducted by other persons • ZIMSTAT to co-ordinate the National Statistical System (NSS) • Gender Focal Point appointed : Govt. / Parastatals • Gender Statistics Section responsible for: • strengthening gender statistics • gender sensitization of staff, including fieldstaff • producing gender statistics products • training in gender and child analysis for CSO, NSS

6. Engendering Household Surveys Measuring Work - facilitating conditions: • Household Surveys Programme: • size of the surveys enable generation of gender-sensitive indicators • gender sensitivity is practiced at the recruitment e.g. Demographic and Health Survey. • Training for trainers & fieldstaff • Census and Survey Planning Committees - representation: Gender, Household Surveys; Sampling & GIS, Employment; key stakeholders • Stakeholder consultation and participation for prioritisation through: user inquiries; user - producer workshops • Consensus-building workshop to ensure relevance of data

7. Engendering Household Surveys Measuring Work - facilitating conditions: • Dissemination of gender statistics through: • Dissemination workshops – release and discuss results, identify data needs • Specific gender reports • Gender sensitive statistics • Internet (website - http://www.zimstat.org) • Databases: • Zimbabwe National Statistics Database (ZIMDAT) contains economic, social and political indicators from 1980 and most indicators are disaggregated by sex • Integrated Management Information System (IMIS) accommodates individual data records.

8. Implications for engendering household surveys • Questions on individuals include sex variable • Examples engendered survey results, 2004 LFS & Child Labour Survey: • Labour force participation (LFPR) for males (av. 91%) exceed those for females (av. 84%) • Economically inactive females were 537 thousand vs. 292 thousand males • Of working age population, 79% was employed; • Employment rate: Male - 85 %; Females – 74% • Large differentials between male and female employment rates in urban provinces of Harare (male - 71 %; female - 44 %) and Bulawayo (male - 70 %; female - 46 %).

9. Examples engendered survey results, 2004 LFS & Child Labour Survey: • Broad youth (age 15-24 yrs) unemployment rate: Females - 19 %; male - 11 %; both sexes - 15 % • Of 529 000 unemployed, 45% were previously employed; of whom 79 % were female • Of 5.1 million currently employed 15+: 681 000 and were in informal sector: 319 000 males and 362 000 females • Informal sector absorbed 31 000 persons of ever-retrenched from Jan ‘95 and May 2004: 80 % being male • 59 % males and 81 % females of agricultural employees reported injuries that were work related • Question: how policy makers used the information?

10. Lessons for engendering surveys measuring work • Basis for gender statistics expressed in: • International/regional/ national documents and plans • national legislations/ regulations; documents and plans • Manuals and guidelines on gender statistics • Gender statistics workshops and seminars • for monitoring Goal 3, Zimbabwe Millennium Development Goals 2004 Progress Report assessed existing capacities using the categories of: very weak, weak, fair, strong and very strong as follows: • Fair: data gathering and the quality of survey information • Weak: statistical tracking, analysis and incorporating statistics into policy • No system for gender monitoring and evaluation was in existence.

11. Need vigorous awareness campaign within the NSS about: • existence of the documents together with knowledge about gender concerns and gender equality policies • mainstreaming gender statistics in the national statistical system • Some strategies for engendering household surveys: • Establish National Gender Statistics Committee • Gender training (sensitisation, analysis, etc) • Include the sex variable in all data collected • fill data gaps • Develop gender statistics database • compile compendium on standards, concepts, definitions • At international and regional levels: engender existing manuals and guidelines

12. The End and Thank You for Lending Me Your Ears ---------------------------------- Central Statistical Office P. O. Box CY 342, Causeway, Harare, Zimbabwe Phone: 263 4 706 681-8; Fax: 263 4 728 529/ 708 854 E-mail: director@cso.zarnet.ac.zw Website: http://www.zimstat.org