international meeting on gender statistics within the framework of the millennium development goals...

International Meeting on Gender Statistics within the Framework of the Millennium Development Goals

Aguascalientes19-21 September 2006

Demographic and Social Statistics BranchStatistics Division, DESAUnited Nations, New York

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic

The World’s Women 2005Progress in Statistics

Use of Gender Statistics

Statistics are essential ingredients for socio-economic planning

Have been critical in focusing international attention on gender equality and equity questions

Four issues produced

The first issued in 1991, and subsequently in

1995, and 2000

The current one was issued 2005

Change in Focus

The fourth issue of The World’s Women departs from the three previous issues

Earlier issues Present statistics on gender issues Assesses the levels and trends with respect to selected

gender-specific indicators Provide analysis of regional differentials Cover selected topics and limited to countries for which

data were readily available Data drawn from a variety of sources, primarily from

United Nations system, including specialized agencies Identified gaps in the available data

New Focus – Progress in Statistics

All the three previous issues highlighted the deficiencies and gaps in statistics

The Beijing Platform for Action calls for all statistics on individuals to be disaggregated by age and sex

The fourth issue therefore addressed one of the key fundamental problems in the promotion of gender equality – Availability of gender statistics

Focus on Official Statistics

The assessment focused on official national statistics, as provided to the United Nations and its specialized agencies (not internationally prepared estimates, which tend to fill the gaps and therefore cover up the lack of statistical capacity)

Statistics reviewed include population, health, education and work (that have also been covered in previous issues)

The report also assesses the current state of statistics on relatively new issues such as violence against women, poverty, power and decision-making, and human rights (which were touched on in past issues but have still not found a place in official statistics

Statistical Capacity

Two main dimensions in the assessment of national capacities in the production of gender statistics

(1) Capacity with respect to two major sources of data a) Conduct of population censuses

b) Completeness of birth registration

(2) Availability of sex- and age- specific data (as reported to international data collection systems

a) Detail of reporting (total only, disaggregation by sex or age only, or by sex and age)

b) Frequency of reporting within a specific period

c) Covering a period of three decades (1975-1984; 1985-1994; 1995-2004)

Statistical Capacity Assessment

Five indicators were selected as illustrative of national statistical capacity to produce and report gender statistics

1. Population census conducted (1995-2004)

2. Birth registration completed, with at least 90% of births registered (1995-2003)

3. Population reported by sex and age (1995-2003)

4. Births reported by sex of child

5. Economic activity reported by sex and age

Five indicators considered

Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics

Still too many countries/areas did not conduct a census in 2000 round


Many countries/areas have still a long way from complete registration


Civil registration


Reporting of total population


Vital statistics reporting


Reporting on vital statistics

Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005 Progress in Statistics

Number of countries or areas that reported deaths for the period 1995-2003, by geographic region

Africa

North America

South America Asia Europe Oceania

All countries or areas 55 27 13 50 42 17

Deaths

Total, at least once 22 25 13 40 42 13

By sex, at least once 18 22 12 33 42 7

By sex and age, at least once 15 21 11 28 40 6

By sex and age, at least five years 4 15 8 20 36 5

Tracking capacities from economic activity reporting


0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Africa NorthAmerica

SouthAmerica

Asia Europe Oceania

Num

ber o

f cou

ntrie

s or

are

as

Did not report

1-4 years

5+ years

Reporting on employed population by sex and major occupational group, by number of years data were reported during the period 1995-2003

Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005

Progress in Statistics

Reporting on Wage

Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005

Progress in Statistics

• Gap between women’s and men’s pay

• 108 of 204 countries or areas report data on total wages

• Less than a quarter of countries report data by sex

Out of 13 countries and areas in South America 8 have conducted at least one survey 5 of which conducted at least one survey with national coverage

Surveys on violence against women


Some critical observations

• Slow progress in the development of statistics (as regards availability of data from major sources)

• Sex and age disaggregation are not being routinely made available

• Gender statistics more scarce when issues are more specific and require greater detail

• No clear trend in the availability of gender statistics• Gender issues/topics covered by official statistics

remain limited to the traditional statistical topics • Emerging issues are still being taken up largely outside

the official statistics

The way forward

• National statistical systems need to be strengthened– Official statistics not being maximized (including

making data available for wide use)

• Mainstream gender in all aspects of production of statistics– Support and strengthen gender statistics units

• Develop and improve concepts and methods where they are inadequate– Support development of emerging topics with

relevant classifications

Thank you

Reference:

The World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics United Nations Publication, Sales No. E.05.XVII.7, ISBN 92-1-161482-1

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic

international meeting on gender statistics within the framework of the millennium development goals...

Documents

statistics slide

official statistics

statistics gap

sex slide

vital statistics source

report gender statistics

worlds women

age slide