Gender Statistics workshops in Jordan
Gender statistics was considered a transversal topic in Medstat 2 and 3. This is also the case in the new Medstat 4 project where gender statistics are highly relevant for example in the sectors of the project that deal with Migration and Labour Market as well as Business Statistics. Gender disaggregated data andgender specific indicators in relation to migration and labour statistics would make it possible for the Medstat countries to compare their situation with a special focus on gender and thus gain a better understanding of causes of gender specific problems and potential solutions.
A partnership between The Department of Statistics, Jordan (DoS) and Statistics Denmark was formed under the responsibility and support of The Danish Centre for Gender, Equality and Diversity (KVINFO). The partnership aimed at enhancing the capacity building of DoS employees in the area of Gender Statistics through organizing a number of workshops in order to enhance quality, availability and comprehensiveness of gender disaggregated statistics and gender related indicators for public use, thus enabling DoS to expand the data and information available from various stakeholders and data producers in Jordan as well as improving the role of DoS in analyzing, evaluating and monitoring the effect of developmental efforts on women in Jordan. The workshops targeted Jordanian policy makers, producers of gender statistics as well as users of gender statistics in the local governorates of Jordan such as women’s machinery and relevant civil society, non-governmental and private sector organizations. The participants were more than 60 women and men from all of Jordan’s 12 provinces. During the workshops that lasted between 2 to 3 days Statistics Denmark as well as DoS explained how the two statistical systems work with gender statistics bytelling the story of the process towards gender equality in both countries, and describe the status via statistics on different areas of interest. Participants were actively involved in discussions and provided suggestions on how to improve the laws towards more gender equality, how to design indicators measuring gender equality.
One of the most important outcomes of the workshops was enhancing leadership and networking through a sustained channel of communication and sharing of experiences with other countries on gender issues/statistics and advocacy. Another important outcome of these workshops was the fact that there are many similarities between gender statistics in Jordan and Denmark but also differences. According to Ms. Manal Sweidan, the Head of the Gender Statistics Division at the Department of Statistics in Jordan, Gender statistics make it possible to compare the same issues in different countries and potentially learn from each other and improve understanding which will be used to support the development of evidence-based policies for better gender equality.
Also, Ms. Manal added “As gender issues move forward in national and global agendas, new demands are created for statistics. Policy makers, researchers and advocates request additional data and argue, more generally, that the gender perspective should be a basic assumption guiding which data to collect and to analyze. In this way, gender statistics raise consciousness and provide the impetus for public debate and change”.
by Statistics Denmark