Session 1: Setting the sceneConnecting policies and data for gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE)(with a focus on women’s economic empowerment (WEE)

Sharita SerraoStatistics Division

Capacity building workshop on Gender Policy-Data Integration in ArmeniaYerevan, 10 – 12 April 2019

1) Where does the demand for WEE data come from in Armenia?

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Policy-data integration: putting it into context for GEWE/WEE issues in Armenia

Identifying, establishing, sustaining effective demand for dataPolicy responsivenessof data & evidence-based policies

2) Given there is no consolidated national indicator set on GEWE or WEE in Armenia, do we know if gender data and statistics currently produced in the country adequately respond to demands for monitoring e.g.: Law of the Republic of Armenia on Ensuring Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women, 2013? Draft Strategy and Program of Activities for implementation of the Policy on Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men (2018-2022) (pending adoption)? Strategic Programme of Prospective Development of the Republic of Armenia 2014-2025?

Connecting polices and data: broad contextCentral to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development –Leave-no-one-behind:

Marginalized/vulnerable groups Vulnerability: multiple deprivation Linkages between SDG targets Integrated national policy-making process (across social, economic, environment, institutional dimensions) Data: multi-dimensional/simultaneous disaggregation (age, sex, location, disability status, income level etc.)

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2. National policies/ plans/ strategies

3. Priority policy actions/ issues1. Interaction b/w policy & data at national level 4. Priority populationgroupsPolicy-data

integrationfor

GEWE/WEE 5.Comprehensive national indicator set

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1. Interaction b/w policy & data at the national level

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Interaction between policy and data: potentially ideal scenario

Identify issues/ set agenda and

scope

Design/formulate Adopt Implement Monitor/

evaluate

Policy process

“Establishing effective demand for data”

(Review of performance/ need for refinement/ capture new & emerging needs/ target groups etc..)

Identify data/

information needs

Identify methodology/

instrumentsCollect data Process data Disseminate

Official statistics process

Evaluate

(Revision/ reveal further data needs)

DATA

POLICY DATA

POLICY

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In reality: vicious cycle of policy and data

Lack of/ Inadequate

policy

Lack of demand for data

Lack of data

Lack of evidence

What data is needed?User-producer engagement?

Specificity of policy docs?User-producer engagement?

Monitoring/ Indicator frameworks?

Priority issues?Priority target groups?Inadequate demand vsInsufficient supply of comprehensive/high quality statistics

Political, institutional & financial support? 7

2. National policies/ plans/ strategies3. Priority policy actions/ issues

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Where does the demand for data for GEWE/WEE come from at the national level?

Policies:WHAT do we want to achieve?Plans: HOW can we achieve it?

Strategies:WHO and WHEN?

Goals, objectives, vision, long-term purpose…Ways to achieve goals/objectives, priority actions, risk factors

Actions, programmes, timeframe, actors

Comprehensive national development plan/strategy (e.g. Strategic Programme of Prospective Development of the Republic of Armenia 2014-2025) Sector specific (e.g. education,health, employment/work) Cross-cutting:- Gender equality(e.g. Law; Draft Strategyand Program of Activities;….)- Disability strategy Etc..

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Taking women’s economic empowerment (WEE) as an example….

National policies/plans/strategies related to WEE:

…. to succeed and advance economically and to make and act on economic decisions…….transformational process, in which women gain increased access to and power over economic assets and economic decisions…

Report of the UNSG HLP on Women’s Economic Empowerment (2016)

Report of the European Parliament's Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (2017)

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Potentially “whole-of-government approach”

Range of WEE-related thematic policies, plans or strategies: first level

Overseas Development Institute (2016)

Enabling/constraining factors

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7 Women’s individual and collective lived experience(direct factors)

Wider structural conditions / environment (underlying factors)11

Range of WEE-related policy actions/issues and outcomes, e.g.

Issues/policy actions:1. Unemployment benefits; social pension; childcare support.2. Employment guarantee schemes.3. Legal framework for maternity/paternity/parental leave.4. Etc.WEE outcomes:1. Alleviate women’s poverty.2. Increase women’s ability to cope with shocks.3. Enhancing opportunities for women’s employment.

Issues/policy actions:1. Increase girls’ access to education.2. Increase legal age for marriage.3. Increase women’s access to financial resources, assets.4. Etc.WEE outcomes:1. Address (social) norms that see men as economic providers and women as mothers/carers.

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Multidimensionality: addressing overlapping deprivations & silo-approach to policy formulation

Policy action

Social(norms/voice)

Environment(physical

conditions of work)

Economic (work/labor

market)

e.g. Reducing/redistributing women’s unpaid work burden

e.g. workplace; sanitation facilitiese.g. Decent work; Addressing gender pay gap

e.g. Enhance women’sLFPInstitutionale.g. Partnership & coordination b/w govt, employers, worker reps; legal framework

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Multiple interlinked dimensions related to women’s LFP

Range of indicators/disaggregation dimensions needed to measure/ monitor women’s LFP

4. Priority population/target groups

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Population/target groups for GEWE/WEE: reaching the most marginalized & leaving no-one-behind

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• Different issues• Large inequalities

• Multiple/intersecting inequality/discriminationWomen and girls

Non-homogenous

From national aggregates to collection methods & disaggregation allowing for comparison between different groups of women and girls

WEE population/target groups: intersectionalities& nested disaggregation needs

Geography

Age

Family status

Religion/ethnicity/indigenous

Income

Education level

Ability

Health/ HIV status

Employment status/sector

Sexual orientation/gender identity

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Etc.

5. Comprehensive national indicator set for GEWE

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Measuring and monitoring GEWE/WEE: one-stop-shop of indicatorsNational indicator set for GEWE/WEE: A collation of priority indicators at national level directly responding to GEWE/WEE policy priorities Guided by indicators from: National documents: National development plan; gender-equality plan; sectoral plans… Global indicator frameworks: SDGs, Global Minimum Set of Gender Indicators (endorsed by the UN Statistical Commission) Regional indicator frameworks: Regional Core Set of Gender Indicators; Incheon Strategy on Disability etc. (endorsed through regional-level inter-governmental processes) …..

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Comprehensive national indicator set: broad context SDG 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development17.15 Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development

17.15.1 Extent of use of country-owned results frameworks and planning tools by providers of development cooperation19

Comprehensive national

indicator set for GEWE/WEE:

Why?

Guide/specify GEWE/WEE

info and data collection/ compilation needed in the country

Guide stat dev needs & design of

NSDS

Setting of capacity building priorities

Assist global/ regional

reporting requirements

Improve transparency on resource allocation

and use

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Addressing missing link between GEWE/WEE priorities and official statistics…

Global/regional GEWE priorities(e.g. SDGs, regional core set, global min set…)National GEWE/WEE priorities/plans (e.g. GE Law, Strategy etc.)

Official statistics at the national level

Comprehensivenational

indicator set(on GEWE/WEE)

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Need for paradigm shift in national planning and monitoring processes…

1. Engagement of NSO with policy counterparts:

• Priority pop groups, issues, needs. • Priority stat info needs in NSDS/ master plans.• Align work programme of NSO/stat units.

2. Review of existing/planned comprehensive and/or sectoral policies/plans/strategies (relevant for GEWE/WEE):

• Coverage of relevant pop groups /their issues.• Needs for data/ official stats for inclusive dev.• Guided by 2030 Agenda/other intl. & reg dev frameworks.

3. Incorporation of such pop groups & issues in relevant national monitoring/indicator frameworks:• Information and accountability tools• Political support & investment needed

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Policy-data integration for GEWE/WEE…

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Policy-data integration tool –EPIC: Every Policy Is Connected)Policy-content analysis to assist countries better identify indicators:

Which best track progress against key issues addressed in national policy/planning documents Are responsive to policy demands

1) Where does the demand for WEE data come from in Armenia?2) Given there is no consolidated national indicator set on GEWE or WEE in Armenia, do we know if gender data and statistics currently produced in the country adequately respond to demands for monitoring e.g.:i. Implementation of the Law of the Republic of Armenia on Ensuring Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Men and Women, 2013 ii. Draft Strategy and Program of Activities for implementation of the Policy on Ensuring Equal Rights and Opportunities for Women and Men (2018-2022) (yet to be adopted)iii. Strategic Programme of Prospective Development of the Republic of Armenia 2014-202524