ENGENDERMENT LABOUR FORCE SURVEYS: INDIAN EXPERIENCE Dr. S.K.Nath CSO-INDIA

MEN AND WOMEN: OLD THEORY WOMEN – WOMEN LADY – LADY MADAM – MADAM DO WE BELIVE THIS THEORY THAT WOMEN HAS TO DEPEND ON MAN ? NO MORE “MEN AND WOMEN” SAY “ WOMEN AND MEN”

“ It is important to walk a mile in another person’s shoes. As it possible to grow up in the same family, neighbourhood, school… And yet have totally different experiences depending on whether you are a man or a woman” - Retd. Supreme Court of Canada

WHY ENGENDERING STATISTICS What is the opinion of Statisticians What is the opinion of Gender specialists What is the opinion of Civil Societies What is the opinion of Policy makers

HOW TO ENGENDER Re-engineering of Surveys Use of effective tools Study the societal needs Positive outlook in developing Data Tabulation Policy Look at Gender Blind data and make their effective use through appropriate Data Analysis

PROBLEM OF ENGENDERING Lack of understanding Lack of Vision Deliberate avoidance Misleading arguments

HOW TO OVERCOME PROBLEM Evidences Appropriate advocacy Marketing Ideas Taking appropriate assistance ( from whom ?) Let us see how India overcome this problem

LABOUR FORCE SURVEYS IN INDIA THE FIRST LFS WAS CONDUCTED IN 1955 (May – September) QUINQUENNIAL SURVEYS STARTED IN LAST SUCH SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED IN EMPLOYMENT STATUS – USUAL STATUS, WEEKLY STATUS AND CURRECT STATUS

Survey Design Multistage Sampling with area frame Villages / Urban blocks ( with various town classes) are FSU Households are the SSU About 0.14 million households selected and surveys in four subrounds with two sub samples each.

SYSTEM FOLLOWED: CONSULTATION DECISION MAKING PROCESS : GOVERNING COUNCIL ( now called Steering Group ) REPRESENTATION OF NONOFFICIAL MEMBERS- professors and civil societies DETAILED CONSULTATION PROCESS THROUGH BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS WORKING GROUP ON LFS – WORKS ON METHODOLOGY AND SCHEDULE OF ENQUIRY AND TABULATION POLICY WORKING GROUPS ARE ALSO REPRESENTED BY OFFICIAL AND NON-OFFICIAL EXPERTS

DATA SYSTEM SINCE INCEPTION SEX-SEGGREAGTED DATA ARE AVAILABLE ACCORDING TO A) STATES / UTs PLUS URBAN/RURAL B)MPCE CLASSES C)AGE-GROUPS D)SOCIAL CLASSIFICATORY VARIABLES E)JOB –STATUS ETC. F)ISIC / ISCO CLASSIFICATION G)LAND POSSESSED H)ETC.

SENSATISATION OF GENDER ISSUES: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON GENDER STATISTICS –NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL IMPORTANCE OF INFORMAL SECTOR BEIJING PLATFORM OF ACTION IMPLEMENTATION OF PLAN OF ACTION AS PER FOLLOW UP OF NATIONAL ACTION PLAN (NPA) IMPORTANCE OF UNPAID WORK KATHMANDU DECLARATION

MAJOR ENGENDERMENT PROCESS COLLECTION OF DATA ON DOMESTIC DUTIES PERFORMED WITHIN HOUSEHOLD CONDUCT OF TIME USE STATISTICS COLLECTION OF DATA ON “PLACE OF WORK” CONDUCT OF INFORMAL SECTOR SURVEY IN NON-AGRICULTURE SECTOR

Data on Economic Activity All the market activities performed for pay or profit which resulted in production of goods and services for exchange Non-market activities not covered under WPR

Non-market: Primary Sector All activities relating to the primary sector (Div 01 to 14 of ISIC 3.1) which resulted in production ( including free collection of uncultivated crops, forestry, firewood, hunting, fishing, mining, quarrying etc.) of primary goods for own consumption

Non-market : Own Account Production of fixed Assets Activities relating to the own-account production of fixed asset (Own-account production of fixed assets included construction of own houses, roads, wells etc., and of machinery, tools etc., for household enterprise and also construction of any private or community facilities free of charge. A person may have been engaged in own- account construction in the capacity of either a labourer or a supervisor.)

KATHMANDU DECLARATION Resolution of the South Asian Meeting on Women Workers in the Informal Economy Sector: October 2000 “There are at least 50 million home based workers in South Asia out of whom around 80% are women. They include own account or self employed workers as well as those who do work for contractors at piece rate.”

Discussions of Home Worker POLITICAL WILL PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE Issue was discussed at length with non- official experts and observed that Indian data system do not make Home Based Worker fully visible Visibility of Home Worker in the data system does not necessarily engender system since home workers are “outworkers” which are not necessarily gender sensitive

India initiatives SAARC Gender data-shop with UNIFEM CSO formed of Independent Group with UNIFEM Involving a number of non-official members including women groups. ( SEWA and Other Civil Societies )

Key issues for defining HBWs Debated on three consecutive meetings Should we adopt extended definition of HW ? Will it be Gender responsive ? Worked on existing data on self employment CSO views Involved in the production of goods and services, in their ‘home’ for the market and Work in their ‘home’ for remuneration, resulting in a product or service as specified by the employer(s)

Outcome Conceived an agreed upon definition pending its testing in the field by re-engineering the LFS schedule of enquiry This initiative may bring a sea change in engendering the Labour Force Survey. Gender responsive Labour Force data on informal sector will help in making policy decision regarding several pro-informal sector, having 90% employment ) measures like social security for which a High Power Commission is looking into the problem.

DATA DISSEMINATION Women and Men in India Micro-data are put on public domain immediately after release of data

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