Measuring Gender Equality and Measuring Gender Equality and Women’s Advancement through Women’s Advancement through

Indicators Indicators

Geeta Rao GuptaGeeta Rao GuptaInternational Center for Research on International Center for Research on

WomenWomen

IWDA Symposium on theIWDA Symposium on the

Harmonization of Gender IndicatorsHarmonization of Gender Indicators CanberraCanberra,,

June 15-16, 2006June 15-16, 2006

The MDGs: Another The MDGs: Another OpportunityOpportunity

To fill the gap between policy To fill the gap between policy commitment and actioncommitment and action

To take advantage of the demand To take advantage of the demand for accountability and resultsfor accountability and results

MDG 3MDG 3

To promote gender equality and To promote gender equality and empower women.empower women.

Success depends on the extent to which Success depends on the extent to which the priorities necessary to achieve this the priorities necessary to achieve this goal are implemented and the extent to goal are implemented and the extent to which actions to meet the other MDGs which actions to meet the other MDGs address gender inequality.address gender inequality.

Ingredients for SuccessIngredients for SuccessClarity of definition of conceptsClarity of definition of conceptsStated priorities for actionStated priorities for actionCountry-level targetsCountry-level targetsGender-specific indicators to monitor Gender-specific indicators to monitor

progress at the national level and within progress at the national level and within international agenciesinternational agencies

Target for Goal 3Target for Goal 3

Eliminate gender disparity in primary Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and at all levels of education by 2005, and at all levels of education no later than 2015.no later than 2015.

Limited in scopeLimited in scopeInsufficient to meet Goal 3Insufficient to meet Goal 3

Framework of Gender Framework of Gender Equality Equality Three domains:Three domains:

CapabilitiesCapabilities: education, health and nutrition;: education, health and nutrition; Access to Resources and OpportunitiesAccess to Resources and Opportunities: access : access

to economic assets and resources as well as to economic assets and resources as well as political opportunity;political opportunity;

SecuritySecurity: reduced vulnerability to violence and : reduced vulnerability to violence and conflictconflict

Focus on the poor, adolescents, and women in conflict Focus on the poor, adolescents, and women in conflict and post-conflict settingsand post-conflict settings

Definition of Definition of EmpowermentEmpowerment

Ability of a woman to control her own Ability of a woman to control her own destinydestinyRequires:Requires:

equality in capabilities;equality in capabilities; equality in access to resources and equality in access to resources and

opportunities;opportunities; the agency to use those to make the agency to use those to make

strategic choices and decisions;strategic choices and decisions; freedom from coercion and violence.freedom from coercion and violence.

Strategic PrioritiesStrategic Priorities Strengthen opportunities for post-primary education Strengthen opportunities for post-primary education

for girls while simultaneously meeting commitments for girls while simultaneously meeting commitments to universal primary educationto universal primary education

Guarantee sexual and reproductive health and rightsGuarantee sexual and reproductive health and rights Invest in infrastructure to reduce women’s and girls’ Invest in infrastructure to reduce women’s and girls’

time burdenstime burdens Guarantee women’s and girls’ property and Guarantee women’s and girls’ property and

inheritance rightsinheritance rights Eliminate gender inequality in employmentEliminate gender inequality in employment Increase women’s share of seats in national Increase women’s share of seats in national

parliaments and local government bodiesparliaments and local government bodies Combat violence against girls and womenCombat violence against girls and women

Indicators for Goal 3Indicators for Goal 3

Indicators listed: Indicators listed: Ratio of girls to boys enrolled in primary, Ratio of girls to boys enrolled in primary,

secondary, and tertiary education secondary, and tertiary education Ratio of literate females to males among Ratio of literate females to males among

15 to 24 year olds15 to 24 year olds Share of women in wage employment in Share of women in wage employment in

the nonagricultural sectorthe nonagricultural sector Proportion of seats held by women in Proportion of seats held by women in

national parliamentsnational parliaments

Limitations of the IndicatorsLimitations of the IndicatorsInadequate for tracking all the strategic Inadequate for tracking all the strategic prioritiespriorities

Technical shortcomings:Technical shortcomings: Ratio of girls to boys enrolled does not reveal what Ratio of girls to boys enrolled does not reveal what

proportion of girls or boys of that age group are proportion of girls or boys of that age group are enrolled;enrolled;

Great variability in the definition of literacy;Great variability in the definition of literacy; Females in nonagricultural employment is restricted Females in nonagricultural employment is restricted

to only one category of work and does not reveal to only one category of work and does not reveal other inequalities, in entry, terms of work, earnings, other inequalities, in entry, terms of work, earnings, or security;or security;

Proportion of seats does not measure women’s Proportion of seats does not measure women’s participation at the local level.participation at the local level.

Criteria for Selecting IndicatorsCriteria for Selecting Indicators SimplicitySimplicity Few in number for each priorityFew in number for each priority Policy relevancePolicy relevance ComparabilityComparability AffordabilityAffordability

Limitation: All measures of parity, not quality of Limitation: All measures of parity, not quality of outcomes or how they are achieved.outcomes or how they are achieved.

Task Force Recommended Task Force Recommended IndicatorsIndicators

EducationThe ratio of female to male gross

enrolment rates in primary, secondary, and tertiary education

The ratio of female to male completion rates in primary, secondary, and tertiary education

Task Force Recommended Task Force Recommended IndicatorsIndicators

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Proportion of contraceptive demand satisfied

Adolescent fertility rate

InfrastructureHours per day (or year) women and men

spend fetching water and collecting fuel

Task Force Recommended Task Force Recommended IndicatorsIndicatorsProperty RightsProperty Rights Land ownership by male,female, or jointly Land ownership by male,female, or jointly

held.held. Housing title, disaggregated by male, female, Housing title, disaggregated by male, female,

or jointly heldor jointly held

EmploymentEmployment Share of women in employment, both wage Share of women in employment, both wage

and self-employment, by typeand self-employment, by type Gender gaps in earnings in wage and self-Gender gaps in earnings in wage and self-

employmentemployment

Task Force Recommended Task Force Recommended IndicatorsIndicatorsParticipation in national parliaments and Participation in national parliaments and

local government bodieslocal government bodiesPercentage of seats held by women in Percentage of seats held by women in

national parliamentsnational parliamentsPercentage of seats held by women in Percentage of seats held by women in

local government bodieslocal government bodies

Violence against womenViolence against womenPrevalence of domestic violencePrevalence of domestic violence

Gender-specific Indicators Gender-specific Indicators EssentialEssential

For making accountability For making accountability mechanisms work to: mechanisms work to: examine outcomes and results and

assess them relative to expectations (and/or baseline conditions)

determine the causes for lack of success, learn from them and fix them

For making gender mainstreaming work

What is Needed?What is Needed? Infusion of resources into country statistical Infusion of resources into country statistical

agenciesagencies Technical support from international agenciesTechnical support from international agencies Harmonization of indicators and coordination Harmonization of indicators and coordination

across agenciesacross agencies Continued funding for WISTAT and Trends in Continued funding for WISTAT and Trends in

the World’s Womenthe World’s Women Continue to fund the focal point on women in Continue to fund the focal point on women in

the UN Statistics Divisionthe UN Statistics Division