Integrating Gender into Population and Housing Censuses Margaret Mbogoni Demographic and Social Statistics Branch Statistics Division, DESA United Nations, New York

What are gender statistics? Gender statistics is about identifying, producing, disseminating, and analyzing statistics to understand how gender issues affect individuals and society Gender statistics is not about women only, but about the role of both women and men in society It’s about making better statistics

What are gender statistics? Statistics reflecting gender issues in all relevant policy areas Quality statistics by sex, age and other relevant characteristics

Integrating a gender perspective in statistical production Requires taking into consideration the different cultural, economic, social and political factors shaping the lives of women and men at all stages of the production of statistics The process of ensuring that all statistics adequately reflect the situation of women and men is referred to as gender mainstreaming. It means taking into consideration the different cultural, economic, social and political factors shaping the lives of women and men at all stages of the production of statistics….that is,

Integrating a gender perspective into population and housing censuses Should take place at all stages of the census operation: -Tabulations -Analysis Planning & Design Data Collection & Processing Analysis Presentation & Dissemination Methods -Government commitment -Consultations on content and operations -Topic selection -Publicity campaign Specifically, in the census, areas that need to be considered in order to improve the quality of the data collected from a gender perspective, include: -Concepts, definitions, classifications (language used) -Recruitment of field staff -Training of field staff on gender sensitization -Respondent selection -Checking, imputation

Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design Government and institutional commitment Gender sensitization and awareness Identify and take into account gender issues, various stereotypes and biases, and social and cultural factors, as well as research methodologies that might produce gender bias Statistical systems that produce relevant data for development of policy on gender equality

Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design Consultations with gender specialists (user-producer dialogue) Review existing data, concepts, methods, topics, publicity campaign and advocate for improvements to better reflect activities and contributions made by women and men Identify their own data needs   Objective of the user-producer efforts is not simply better information on women and men, but improvements in measuring the realities of economic and social life

Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design Topic specifications: Consider relevant gender issues Household head/reference person Detailed household relationships Marital status Work and economic activity Access to and ownership of assets Unpaid work School attendance Fertility Add new question(s) Expand response categories to a question Change how questions are asked to make them less gender-biased

Integrating a gender perspective into census planning and design Concepts, definitions, classifications where biases predominate Household relationships Marital status Definition of work Publicity campaign for the census Raise awareness about gender issues in general public Publicity material concerning gender issues

Census planning and design: An example Topic specification: Access to and ownership of assets Example: Nepal 2011 Census introduced individual level questions on ownership of house and land for female household members Does any female member of household own a house in any part of Nepal? Does any female member of household own land in any part of Nepal? Women are less likely than men to own and control assets. They also own different types of assets. Differential ownership and control of assets results in differential economic vulnerability. Data however on ownership of assets is collected at the household level. Censuses can be designed to better capture women’s and men’s ownership of assets by collecting the information at the individual level. Source: Engendering Population Census in South and West Asia: Collected Papers. UNFPA, 2004.

Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Methods Concepts, definitions and classifications: Review adequacy Household head Work and economic activity Marital status Unit of collection: Define appropriate level Access to and control over assets Reference period Consider timing of seasonal activities Questionnaire and language: Consider choice of words Give examples of activities to better capture gender issues, e.g., women’s work

Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Data collection and processing Enumerator hiring and training Gender balance in hiring Focus training on meaning and use of concepts relevant to gender issues Raise awareness among enumerators of sex-based stereotypes Respondent selection Consider impact of male/female respondent Consider presence of other persons during interview Checking and imputation Avoid imputations based on gender stereotypes, e.g., coding of occupational groups

Integrating a gender perspective into census data collection: An example State of Palestine 2007 census, females made up: 53% of the total employed staff 20% of the top management of the census staff 55% of the enumerators 46% of the fieldwork supervisors 57% of editing and coding staff 58% of data entry staff

Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation Tabulation and analysis Include sex and age Include other relevant characteristics Emphasize key gender issue in data presentation Provide simple, clear message

Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation Presenting data by sex may not be enough to highlight key gender issues Source: Labour Force Survey, October 2014, Office for National Statistics, UK

Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation When disaggregated by other relevant characteristics, in this case parental status, the gender issue become apparent. There are no differences between the employment rates of women and men with no dependent children. However, there is a significant gap in the employment rate of women with dependent children compared to that of men with dependent children. Source: Labour Force Survey, October 2014, Office for National Statistics, UK

Integrating a gender perspective into censuses: Analysis and presentation Including more detailed information, further evidences the key gender pattern. In this case, presenting the employment rates by the age of dependent children evidences a clear difference in the employment of women and men. Women with at least one dependent child less than 5 years old have an employment rate of 55%, while men in the same circumstances have a rate of 91%--almost double that of women. The age of the youngest child greatly affect the employment rate of the mothers, which varies from 55% for women with smaller children to 79% for women with the youngest child 16-18 years old. For men, the age of children has no impact on their employment rate, which is around 90% regardless of the age of the children. This suggests that women are more likely than men to leave employment when they have children, and remain unemployed to take care of their offspring. Source: Labour Force Survey, October 2014, Office for National Statistics, UK

Employment Rate for Women and Men by Presence of Young Children, Ireland - 2011 Source: Women and Men in Ireland, 2011, Central Statistics Office, Ireland

Summary Gender statistics is about making better statistics Gender mainstreaming should be conducted at all stages in the census production process: From planning and design Through methods, field operations and data processing To data tabulation, analysis and presentation

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