Transcript International Meeting on Gender Statistics

International Meeting on Gender
Statistics within the Framework of
the Millennium Development Goals
Aguascalientes
19-21 September 2006
Demographic and Social Statistics Branch
Statistics Division, DESA
United Nations, New York
The World’s Women 2005
Progress in Statistics
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic
Use of Gender Statistics
Statistics are essential ingredients for socioeconomic 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)
b)
Conduct of population censuses
Completeness of birth registration
(2) Availability of sex- and age- specific data (as reported to
international data collection systems
a)
b)
c)
Detail of reporting (total only, disaggregation by sex or age only,
or by sex and age)
Frequency of reporting within a specific period
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 (19952003)
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
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
Many countries/areas have still a long
way from complete registration
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
Civil registration
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
Reporting of total population
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
Vital statistics reporting
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
Reporting on vital statistics
Number of countries or areas that reported deaths for the period
1995-2003, by geographic region
Africa
North
Ame
rica
South
Ame
rica
55
27
13
50
42
17
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
All countries or areas
Asia Europe Oceania
Deaths
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005 Progress in Statistics
Tracking capacities from
economic activity reporting
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
Number of countries or areas
Reporting on employed population by sex and
major occupational group, by number of years
data were reported during the period 1995-2003
60
50
40
30
Did not report
20
1-4 years
5+ years
10
0
Africa
North
South
America America
Asia
Europe
Oceania
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005
Progress in Statistics
Reporting on Wage
• 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
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005
Progress in Statistics
Surveys on violence against
women
Source: United Nations, World’s Women 2005: Progress in Statistics
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
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