Improving Gender Statistics:A World Bank Plan of Action

Sulekha PatelSenior DemographerDevelopment Data GroupThe World Bank

September 11, 2007

Presentation Outline

Background to the Gender Action Plan Rationale for choice of focus areas Priority gender issues in the Gender Action Plan Gender statistics strategy to support the Gender

Action Plan Capacity-building efforts to improve availability and

use of sex-disaggregated data

Background

Countries falling behind in their commitment to meet MDG3

Gender mainstreaming is a sound policy, but it should be more operationally relevant and focused on results

More, and better gender statistics are needed to improve analytical work and identify good practices in promoting women’s economic empowerment

For the World Bank, assigning priority to work in the economic sectors would give gender issues more traction

Rationale

Gains in women’s economic opportunities lag behind those in women’s capabilities.

Increased female labour force participation and earnings associated with faster growth.

Women, and society, will benefit from their economic empowerment.

Gross enrolment ratios, Arab States, 2005

0

20

40

60

80

Male Female

Source: UIS

Perc

en

tag

e

Secondary

Tertiary

Females in non-agricultural wage employment, 2005

01020304050

Western Asia LAC

Source: UNP

erc

enta

ge

1990

2005

Overall objectives of Gender Action Plan

Promote women’s economic advancement through interventions at:

Policy level Agency level

Empower women to Empower women to compete in marketscompete in markets

Make markets Make markets work for womenwork for women

Gender Action Plan

Framework

Product Markets Include female-owned businesses and farms in supply chains

Form women’s business, purchasing, and transport associations

Financial Markets Offer commercial credit lines and financial services for women

Support self-help groups and savings associations

Land Markets Promote joint titling to land to enable women to access loans

Ensure women’s participation in land adjudication and registration processes

Labor Markets Certify good gender practices in firms

Provide labor intermediation services to young women

Policy LevelPolicy Level

Infrastructure Increases Access to all 4 MarketsInfrastructure Increases Access to all 4 Markets

Agency LevelAgency Level

Gender Action Plan

Regional priorities:Middle East and North Africa

Female Labour Force Participation (% of total labour force)

0

20

40

60

80

1990 2005

Source: ILO

Perc

en

t

East Asia & Pacific

Europe and CentralAsia

Latin America &Carib

Middle East & N.Africa

South Asia

Sub-Saharan Africa

Gender Action Plan

Regional priorities:Middle East and North Africa

Operational and analytical work to advance region’s ongoing efforts to provide women access to public resources, jobs and benefits, and assets

Gender and infrastructure, especially as it relates to women’s time use

Linkages between formal and informal labour markets Work on investment climate assessments and women’s

role in the private sector

Gender Action Plan

Four Action Areas

.

Action 1Engender Operations & Technical Assistance in Economic Sectors

Core ObjectiveEmpower women to compete in:•Product markets•Financial markets•Land markets•Labor markets

Action 3Improve Research & Statistics

Action 2ImplementResults-Based Initiatives (RBIs)

Gender Action Plan

. Action 4:

Undertake a Targeted Communications Campaign

Action 3Improve Research and Statistics

Action

Improve knowledge and statistics on women’s economic participation and the relationship between gender equality, growth, and poverty reduction.

Performance indicators include: Increased number of sex-disaggregated impact

evaluations of Bank interventions. Greater understanding of the gender-differentiated

effects of policy reforms. Greater understanding of the determinants of women’s

economic empowerment. Increased in-country capacity to collect and analyze sex-

disaggregated statistics, and improved quality and availability of sex-disaggregated labor force and employment data.

Gender Action Plan

Gender Statistics Strategy:Support for Gender Action Plan

Proposes actions in three areas: Improve availability of gender indicators, based on mining

data from surveys, initially working with target countries Identify new indicators/gaps and establish strategies to

collect data to support monitoring progress in the four key markets identified by GAP

Build national capacity to provide relevant data to make gender analysis an integral part of countries’ results-based agendas

Gender Statistics Strategy

Modalities of operation

Two main strategies: Collaboration:

Work with international agencies and academic and research institutions

Develop synergies with existing national and international programs in areas of mutual interest

Bank commitments: Support for the MAPS through the Development Grant Facility and

Trust Fund for Statistical Capacity Building Raise profile of gender statistics through the Data Quality

Assessment Frameworks and the General Data Dissemination System for social statistics

Develop training for Bank staff to integrate gender dimensions in economic and sector work

Disseminate data and statistics through the World Development Indicators

Gender Statistics Strategy

Strategy for gender statistics: Improve data availability

Data mining of LSMS and other surveys in the Bank’s database: Identify and fill gaps in coverage of data needed

for monitoring progress of GAP Identify new areas and indicators to monitor for

gender equality Make recommendations for filling gaps:

Develop survey modules and model questions for surveys

Examine other sources of data and experiences with data collection and reporting

Gender Statistics Strategy

Strategy for gender statistics: Identify new indicators/fill gaps

Establish partnerships with UN agencies, programmes, funds, and researchers to identify appropriate indicators, methodologies, and data collection modalities Launched a multi-year research and data collection

exercise to increase availability of individual asset ownership

Gender Statistics Strategy

Asset Ownership and Control

Assets serve two main functions: as social safety net — strengthen households’ ability to

cope with aggregate shocks (financial crises, natural disasters) and idiosyncratic shocks (divorce, illness, or death).

as an income generating mechanism —providing productive capacity, ensuring access to credit, capital, etc.

Most data on assets are collected only at the household level – leading to an incomplete or partial understanding of individual-level ownership patterns

Gender Statistics Strategy

Individual Assets: Data collection

Two modalities have been proposed:

o A self-standing questionnaire to collect household and individual level data on: Land, housing Businesses Other financial assets, including debt Livestock

Integrating with existing questionnaires, such as the LSMS survey instruments

Gender Statistics StrategyGender Statistics Strategy

Strategy for gender statistics:Build national capacity

Collaborate with other agencies: To improve data collection

With the ILO to collect and use sex-disaggregated employment data in partnership—executed by UNECE and UNSD (2008-2009)

To sensitize statisticians in national statistics offices to engender statistics With UNECE and ECLAC to improve collection, use, and

reporting of gender statistics (under way) – to be replicated in other regions Three-year project on Gender Sensitization Training, 2007-

2009 (funded by the DGF under the Marrakesh Action Plan for Statistics (MAPS)

Gender Statistics Strategy

Capacity Building

Regional Trainingof Trainers

National follow-upWorkshops

(by local trainers)

Community ofPractice

Web Portal

Development ofa Consolidated

Training Manual

Provide a structuredresource

for trainers

Have trainersexperience the

Interactivelearning design

andbuild confidence

and trust

Organize larger-scale dissemination

of information tobuild awareness

andultimately effectpolicy decision

making

Support trainersin the preparation

of nationaltrainings, foster

peer-to-peerlearning and create

a sustainablecommunity of

experts in the region

Gender Statistics StrategyCapacity Building

Gender Sensitization Programme: Instruments

Strategy for gender statistics: Build National Capacity

Work with existing programs to add gender indicators to household surveys and co-ordinate survey activities: International Household Survey Network, Accelerated Data Program for Sub-Saharan Africa Pilot new modules in Core Welfare Indicators

Questionnaire

Under umbrella of MAPS, work with PARIS 21 to engender National Strategies for the Development of Statistics

Gender Statistics StrategyCapacity Building

Country 2004 2005 2006

Algeria - - Process initiatedDjibouti Process initiated Completed CompletedEgypt, Arab Rep. Not yet started Not yet started Not yet startedIran, Islamic Rep. Not yet started Not yet started UnderwayIraq Process initiated Process initiated Process initiatedJordan Process initiated Process initiated Process initiatedLebanon Underway Underway UnderwayLibya - - Process initiatedMorocco Completed Completed CompletedSyrian Arab Rep. Underway Underway UnderwayTunisia Underway Underway UnderwayYemen, Rep. Completed Completed Completed

NSDS - Status for Middle East and North Africa

Gender Statistics StrategyCapacity Building