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In view of the pivotal role of NCW
in enhancing cooperation among Arab nations, UNIFEM proposed an initiative
to sponsor a regional project among a number of Arab countries, NCW and
UNIFEM, that would have a positive impact both in the short and long terms.
This important project promotes the use of disaggregated statistics to
measure gender equality. It aims to support the efforts undertaken to narrow
gender gaps by providing detailed and accurate information on the areas
where these gaps exist and on their real dimensions. The availability of
such information constitutes the most important basis on which
decision-makers will formulate policies capable of eliminating the various
aspects of inequality between men and women. The project comprises the
following countries:
Egypt: with NCW being the implementing body in collaboration with
the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
Syria: Women’s Public Union and the Central Statistics Office.
Jordan: Jordanian Women’s National Committee, and the Statistics
Department.
The objectives of the project are to:
1- Mainstream gender in the national statistical departments or agencies and
their organizational structures.
2- Discuss an analytical framework to encourage cooperation between users
and producers of statistics in order to establish gender statistical
indicators, that could be replicated.
3- Improve the use of statistical data as a tool and a catalyst for change.
4- Provide a platform for dialogue among Arab States to exchange
experiences, adopt a framework for statistical measures, and document the
best practices in this field.
To this end, the following three workshops were organized:
The first workshop was held in Cairo, during 23-24 October 2002 and the
participants were the project specialists and the national work teams from
the designated countries.
The second workshop was held in Syria during 21-24 February 2003, during
which the regional activities in the field of measuring gender equality and
the use of statistics were reviewed in the context of drawing up national
policies in the areas of labor, violence against women, and women and
decision-making.
The third workshop was held in Jordan during 22-23 September 2003, and was
attended by the project specialists. During the workshop, the Egyptian
national team presented the results of the national report and the working
plan for 2004.
The above workshops highlighted the need to:
Standardize the basic rules, concepts, and methods of measuring gender
indicators to conform to those of international statistical institutions.
Analyze and amend the form and content of the questionnaire forms so that
they reflect the nature and magnitude of the gender gap.
Apply the internationally and locally established criteria for measuring
types of gender gaps, to enable decision-makers to determine the nature and
magnitude of problems and set priorities for addressing them.
During this period, the following was completed:
1. A database was created at the level of governorates.
2. Accurate statistics were compiled by the various national agencies on the
three main topics of the project (violence against women, women as decision
makers, women’s work in the formal and informal sectors).
3. The national report on gender indicators was finalized. The report
entitled “The Statistical Situation of Egyptian Women,” was launched during
NCW’s Fourth Annual National Conference, “Egyptian Women and the Millennium
Development Goals.” The report focused on:
- The demographic situation in Egypt.
- Women and the economy.
- Women and decision-making.
- Violence against women.
4. A manual on gender mainstreaming in national statistics was prepared
5. A policy paper on how to improve gender disaggregated data and indicators
is under preparation.
6. A number of workshops and training courses were organized for the
producers and users of statistics at the Central Agency for Public
Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS).
7. A questionnaire was distributed to the CAPMAS staff to assess the extent
of awareness of the staff and CAPMAS officials responsible for data
collection of the importance of disaggregated gender statistics. The
questionnaire also aimed to identify the shortcomings in the process of
compiling data.
8. Analyses of the CAPMAS publications and statistics are carried out. |
