APEC Guides

I: APEC GUIDE FOR GENDER ANALYSIS

What is the APEC Guide for Gender Analysis?

The APEC Guide for Gender Analysis is a tool to assist in the implementation of the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC and for mainstreaming "gender" into APEC directions and policy recommendations, project design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation and communication. It is meant to illustrate the kinds of questions or information that lead to gender mainstreaming and more effective policies and projects.

What is gender analysis?

Gender analysis is an important component of the APEC approach to the integration of women in the mainstream of APEC activities and processes. It is a methodology to:

• Identify and understand the differences in the lives of women and men, and the diversity among women themselves i.e. in their varied circumstances, responsibilities, social relationships and status within existing economic, social, cultural, environmental, institutional and political structures in any community or economy;
• Assess how policies, programs or projects may impact differently on women and men, girls and boys;
• Compare how and why women and men are affected through the collection and utilization of sex-disaggregated data, both qualitative and quantitative;
• Integrate gender considerations throughout the planning, design, implementation and evaluation processes.

How is gender analysis applied?

Gender analysis is integral to the process of formulating, implementing, and evaluating policies and projects. It complements and increases the rigour of the analytical process by ensuring that policies and projects take into account the specific circumstances of, and identify the differential impacts on women and men. It is not an additional layer of analysis or a task to be done after the fact.

At first glance, some policies or projects may appear to be gender-neutral, i.e. without gender implications. However, such implications may emerge as gender analysis is undertaken. The utilization of sex disaggregated data is essential to the process.

Who should use the APEC Guide on Gender Analysis?

The Guide for Gender Analysis is of interest to all those involved:

A. At the policy level of APEC, such as Chairs, Lead Shepherds, Senior Officials, Ministers and Leaders, and

B. At the project level, such as members of APEC Committees including the Budget and Management Committee (BMC), Working Groups, Project Overseers, the APEC Secretariat and other APEC fora.

APEC GUIDE FOR GENDER ANALYSIS

The Guide for Gender Analysis may be applied at the policy or project level. In both cases, the outcomes of the policies or projects can change gender relations and strengthen equal economic opportunities for and participation of both women and men in the future growth and prosperity of APEC economies.

A. Gender Analysis at the Policy Level of APEC:

In APEC, Leaders provide overall strategic policy direction, monitor progress, and set the course of change in sectors of relevance to APEC's vision and goals for the region. APEC processes leading to Leaders' agreements have evolved incrementally over time, in response to emerging situations and to the need to address an increasing number of economic and social issues. The impact of Leaders' agreements may be felt from the macro to the micro levels of economies and throughout the region.

The following approach is APEC-specific and builds on the levels of decision-making within APEC from Lead Shepherds to Senior Officials (SOM), Ministers, and Leaders. It provides a broad understanding of the kind of information required for effective and equitable policy direction and communication.

I.  Reports and recommendations at the level of Committee Chairs and Lead Shepherds:

Chairs, Lead Shepherds and other APEC officials have a responsibility to ensure that proposals, evaluations and recommendations from their Committees and Working Groups provide SOM, Ministers and Leaders with complete and appropriate information on women and men.

To facilitate this process, ensure that the Members of the Committees, Working Groups or other groups:

• Take into account the Joint Statement of the Ministerial Meeting on Women (1998) and implement the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC.

• Apply the APEC Guide for Gender Analysis throughout their work.

• Is gender expertise available to the Committee or Working Group to assist in the overall integration of gender perspectives and considerations? Are the Committee or Working Group processes and materials conducive to gender mainstreaming and to the formulation of effective and equitable recommendations for SOM, Ministers and Leaders?

• Are the priorities, work plans, activities and resource allocation equitable for both women and men and consistent with the commitments made by Leaders and Ministers to eliminate the barriers to, and strengthen the role and economic contribution of women in the APEC process?

• How visible is "gender" throughout meeting agendas and supporting background documents and reports? Is the information disaggregated by sex? Are gender-neutral terms used which inadvertently hide the contributions and realities of, and different impacts on women and men?

• Do the forms for project proposals, evaluation and reporting provide an opportunity to consider the gender implications?

• Do reports and recommendations focus on the longer-term outcomes for women and men? Do they lead to a better understanding on the part of Ministers and Leaders, of the consequences of their decisions relative to the contribution of women and men to the advancement of APEC goals?

Example:

• Expanding opportunities for business: The growth of micro, small and medium enterprises owned or operated by women has been a worldwide phenomenon over the past years. The Ministerial Meeting on Women (1998) identified a number of barriers experienced disproportionately by women-owned businesses, in the areas of access to financing, markets, technology and training.

Do APEC priorities for market expansion take into account the specific challenges faced by women-owned businesses? Are specific efforts directed at eliminating the barriers faced by women-owned businesses and enhancing their growth and export capacities? Does the elimination of red tape affect more businesses owned by men rather than women? Do Committee and Working Group reports, action plans, tools, (e.g. matrix, forms, manuals), measurements and indicators, and recommendations reflect awareness of gender differences and impacts? Are SOM, Ministers and Leaders made aware of the steps taken to follow-up on the Ministerial Meeting on Women, and implement the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC?

II. Coordination of the APEC agenda and monitoring at SOM level:

The Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) is a strategic, cross-cutting mechanism to coordinate the APEC agenda respecting directives coming from Leaders and Ministers, and recommendations and proposals directed to Leaders and Ministers. It ensures the effective and efficient management and administration of APEC, including budget control. It also monitors progress and outcomes, and recommends courses of action.

The recognition of gender as a cross-cutting theme in APEC is a relatively new development within APEC. With the support of SOM, the Ministerial Meeting on Women was held in 1998, and the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC was developed by an Ad Hoc Task Force reporting to SOM.

To maintain this momentum, consider the following:

• Do the background documents, reports and other information prepared for SOM, Ministers and Leaders present the different realities of women and men? Is the information disaggregated by sex? For example, is information included on the anticipated impacts on women and men in areas such as trade liberalization and facilitation?

• Do SOM Agendas and Summary Conclusions clearly reflect its responsibility for the implementation of gender mainstreaming in all aspects of the work of APEC?

• To what extent does the development of sectoral "deliverables" provide opportunity to advance gender mainstreaming? Do the deliverables also advance the APEC agenda through initiatives that address barriers to women's economic contribution in areas such as business, trade, E-commerce, science and technology, human resources development?

Example:

• Management review of APEC: A principle of good governance requires that the goals, structures, policies, priorities, activities, processes and mechanisms of an institution effectively lead to and support the achievement of organizational goals. This applies to APEC in the implementation of Ministerial and Leaders' directives respecting "gender as a cross-cutting theme" and gender mainstreaming.

Are APEC processes and mechanisms appropriate and effective for the monitoring and accountability requirements of Ministers and Leaders for gender mainstreaming? Do existing processes and mechanisms ensure the long-term sustainability of APEC's work in gender mainstreaming? To what extent do APEC priorities and resource allocation take into account and reflect its commitment to strengthen the contribution and involvement of women in economic growth for the region?

III.   Decision-making and communication at Ministerial and Leaders' Levels:

Leaders' recognition and endorsement of gender as a cross-cutting theme in APEC represents a turning point for APEC. The challenge is to ensure the implementation of this principle throughout the system. Ministerial and Leaders' accountability for results and long-term impact require that gender mainstreaming occur across, and at all levels of the organization.

The APEC agenda revolves around Ministerial and Leaders' directives as expressed in Joint Ministerial Statements and Declarations. Their Statements and Declarations constitute the primary vehicle for communicating the substance of APEC's work and its achievements to all its various publics.

In support of Ministerial and Leaders' accountability for results, consider the following:

• Do Ministers and Leaders have complete information on which to base their decisions? Is the data disaggregated by sex in order to establish the differences in the situation of women and men, the different impacts of decisions on them, and their respective contributions to economic growth and social stability?

• What strategies, priorities and actions can best maximize the capacities and contributions of both women and men to the achievement of APEC goals? What measures are required to address the gender differences in the sectors of relevance to APEC?

• To what extent does APEC and its member economies ensure that its input to multilateral negotiations such as WTO, reflects the results of gender analysis, and encourage these multilateral organizations to take into account the differential impacts of their decisions on women and men?

• As APEC seeks to broaden understanding and support for APEC, are Ministerial Statements and Leaders' Declarations focused on substantive impacts and outcomes? Do they project a human face? Do they reflect an understanding of and demonstrate action respecting the different realities of the lives of women and men? Have the views of gender experts, women business owners, women's professional associations, the Women Leaders' Network of APEC economies, or other been sought and reflected?

• Strengthening social safety nets: The APEC Ministerial Meeting on Women (1998) and the World Bank (1999) recognized the differential impacts of the financial and economic crisis on women and men. They expressed concern that a disproportionate share of the burden fell on women, particularly where there have been decreases of expenditures on education, training, health care and social services as well as shortages of supplies such as food, medicines, and a general reduction in employment. As a result, APEC's involvement in the strengthening of social safety nets is of direct relevance to women.

How do Ministerial Statements and Leaders Declarations make this link? How effective are the Statements and Declarations as a communication tool with the various publics of APEC including women's organizations? How do they express the differential impacts of the crisis on women and men? Do they reflect Ministerial and Leaders' understanding of the importance of social safety nets to women, given the realities of their lives? Do they demonstrate appropriate action? Do they contribute to public understanding of and support for APEC vision and goals?

B. Gender Analysis at the Project Level:

The three steps utilized in the Guide for Gender Analysis, are drawn from "A Guide to Strengthening Project Management and Performance" prepared by the Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG).

To assist in understanding the differences between a "gender-aware" approach (i.e. the integration of gender as a variable throughout different steps of the project) and a "gender-neutral" approach, examples are included under each question. They are related to the ECOTECH priority areas. They are meant for illustrative purposes and are not exhaustive. A different project area has been included under each of the three steps, to provide examples of the gender considerations in various sectors.

Step I: Project Design (e.g. defining purpose and objectives; research; deciding the activities and outcomes)

Example: "Integrated Rural Economic Development"

To ensure a gender perspective, consider:

9. Defining the purpose and objectives:

• What is the problem to be addressed? Do the purpose and objectives clearly reflect the target population, by sex?

Gender-neutral: To improve the food security and income of the community, through employment creation, productivity increase and crop diversification.

Gender-aware: To improve the food security and income of women and men in the community, through employment creation, productivity increase and crop diversification, taking into account the different roles of women and men in the total agricultural production system.

• Who has been consulted on the "problem" the project is to address? Are women as well as men directly involved in the development of the solution and throughout all phases of the project?

Gender-neutral: Community services; Local farmers' associations; Cooperatives; Council of local Leaders.

Gender-aware: Representatives from both women and men's associations: e.g. Community services including women's volunteer groups, child care services, women's income generating groups; Local farmers' associations including Women's Institutes; Cooperatives including women's coops and micro-credit lenders; Council of local Leaders, and women's informal leaders in the community; etc.

Tips for success: Be careful with gender-neutral terms such as youth, elderly, farmers, stakeholders, as they tend to hide gender implications and can be misleading in gender analysis.

Remember that gender analysis is not an add-on at the end of the process or an extra layer of analysis; it is integrated systematically throughout each step of the project.

2. Research:

• What are the circumstances of women and men, girls and boys in the community? How do they differ?

Gender neutral: Gather information concerning the population in the community, e.g. occupations, levels of assets and incomes, savings and indebtedness, levels of education and literacy, the number of households and household size, isolated communities in the area.

Gender-aware: Compare data, disaggregated by sex, regarding the occupations, levels of assets and incomes, savings and indebtedness, levels of education and literacy, the number of households, household size, and the number of single-headed households, ethnically or culturally distinct and/or isolated communities in the area.

• Who does what work in the community, in the household (e.g. care giving to children and elderly, unpaid work)? Does the project affect these roles?

Gender-neutral: Farming, machinery operation and maintenance, labor (yearly and casual), transportation, marketing.

Gender-aware: Assessment of the relative roles and division of labor between women and men in the total agricultural production system, household food security, household or small-scale agricultural processing and marketing, off-farm employment, and community work.

• Who owns what in the community? Who has access to resources?

Gender-neutral: Credit, equipment, land, water and forests, research, training.

Gender-aware: Examination of the relative access to resources by women and men including formal and informal credit, equipment, land, water and forests, research, training opportunities.

• What are the constraints faced by women or men in gaining access to and control of resources?

Gender-neutral: Assessment of constraints including financial, credit, literacy, technology, and training.

Gender aware: Assessment of the different constraints faced by women and men including time, mobility, financial, credit and collateral, literacy, asset ownership, technology, lack of training, family responsibilities, cultural or religious constraints.

• Who will benefit? Who will lose? How can the project design be adjusted to increase positive effects, and reduce or eliminate the negative ones?

Gender-neutral: Impacts of relocation, rights to land use, loss of income, and technology.

Gender aware: Examination of the different impacts on women and men, of relocation, loss of rights to land use, loss of income, loss of cultural properties, of technology, workload, and family responsibilities.

Tip for success: Remember to gather both qualitative and quantitative data, disaggregated by sex.

2. Deciding activities and outcomes:

• Is the project consistent with, and does it build on, the Framework for the Integration of Women in APEC and other APEC gender-related commitments including Joint Statements of Ministerial Meetings?

Gender neutral: No links with APEC policies and priorities, or specific consideration of gender as a variable in the project.

Gender-aware: The APEC Framework as well as the Gender Analysis Guide and other relevant documents are made available to those involved in all aspects of the project; their application is monitored throughout the project.

• Who are the major decision-makers in the community and what changes are to be introduced that may impact on the results, outcomes and ultimate success of the project?

Gender-neutral: Support is sought from community leaders, local associations, and the banking sector. Assessment of the practices and factors that may limit acceptance of the project including changes from nomadic agriculture to intensive, sedentary farming systems, mutual help traditions, adaptation to new technologies.

Gender-aware: Support is sought from formal and informal leaders in the community including women, local associations including women's organizations, banking institutions including women's cooperatives. Assessment of the socio-cultural beliefs and practices that may limit acceptance of the project including, mutual help traditions, responsibilities for kin, land ownership, perceptions of women's traditional roles.

• Are gender-sensitive indicators utilized for monitoring the impact of the project?

Gender-neutral: Emphasis on commonly used quantitative indicators, e.g. group participation, involvement of the community.

Gender-aware: Qualitative and quantitative indicators include women's "invisible" or unremunerated work such as childcare, housework and community work. Data is analyzed to determine which action or activity would be more effective for women or men.

Tip for success: Remember to set measurable targets and gender-sensitive indicators to identify and address the potential consequences of the project on women and men, to outline the expected risks and develop strategies to address them.

Example: "Education and Training"

1. To ensure a gender perspective, consider:

1. Work plans, tasks and allocation of resources:

• Are the project resources, mechanisms or benefits accessible to women and men to encourage full and equal participation? Who manages the project resources?

Gender-neutral: Project activities are open to everyone, women or men.

Gender-aware: The project includes support systems and special arrangements such as childcare provisions, on-the-job training, transportation, subsidies, culture-specific programs or special programs for disadvantaged groups.

• Will the project ensure equal access for women and men to non-traditional fields of education, training and work?

Gender-neutral: The project offers opportunities for training and employment in non-traditional fields to all women and men.

Gender-aware: The project develops gender-sensitive and culturally aware approaches and special measures. It takes into account factors such as accreditation; cost of training and certification; mobility; courses offered at night; location of training facilities; acceptability by the community; influence of custom and culture; curriculum; gender sensitivity of educators, need to encourage women to participate.

• What percentage of the project's budget is allocated to activities that address the specific needs of women?

Gender-neutral: The activities are costed within a total budgetary allocation, and a set percentage is established from the outset to cover unanticipated circumstances such as access to a person with disability.

Gender-aware: The activities and budgetary allocations take into account the purpose and objectives of the project, the factors contributing to or inhibiting the achievement of equitable outcomes for both women and men, and the special measures that may be required to ensure equal opportunities and equal results for women and men.

ii) Monitoring:

• Does the project's data collection and indicators measure the project's effects on women and men, and the participation of women and men? Do women share the uses of resources?

Gender-neutral: the data is not collected or expressed by sex. Indicators utilize standard enrolment (the number of children enrolled in primary or secondary school as a % of the total number of children in the relevant age group for that level) that assumes an orderly and simple relationship between age group and level of education.

Gender-aware: The data is disaggregated by sex; in addition to the commonly used indicators of education and literacy, indicators include net enrolment (net enrolment ratios showing the total number of children enrolled in a schooling level who belong to the relevant age group, expressed as a % of the total number of children in that age group), enrolment statistics by level, and at the higher levels, by field of study.

Tip for success: Remember that "gender" analysis applies to both women and men.

Step III: Project Evaluation and Communication of Results (e.g. evaluation criteria; recommendations; follow-up; communication and information dissemination)

Example: "Micro Finance and Development of Micro Enterprises"

1. To ensure a gender perspective, consider:

1. Evaluation criteria, recommendations, follow-up:

• To what extent does the evaluation report document the impacts of the project on women as well as men? Are gender-neutral or gender-aware terms utilized?

Gender-neutral: The project report assesses the impact on the community, uses gender-neutral terms, and does not attempt to explain and evaluate the gender factors that impacted on the results and outcomes.

Gender-aware: The project report assesses the different impacts on women and men, for example, their relative access to equipment, land, technology, information, markets, training opportunities in business practice, financial planning, enhanced production methods. The project report also assesses changes in the constraints faced particularly by women, for example, acquiring credit, time, financial, literacy, asset ownership, collateral, cultural or religious (e.g. women unable to sign for their own loans, not formally owning assets used for collateral).

• To what extent did the project achieve the intended results for both women and men?

Gender-neutral: The project report utilizes primarily quantitative aggregated data, that groups the particularities of women and men under a gender-neutral term such as participants, credit users, lenders, entrepreneurs, market vendors, laborers, workers.

Gender-aware: The project report is based on qualitative and quantitative data, disaggregated by sex, to measure results and longer-term outcomes on women and men, for example, job creation; new businesses; division of labor; access to loans and amounts received; collateral required; interest rates; entrepreneurial skills; personal income; community economic development; participation of women and women's organizations.

ii) Communication and information dissemination:

• Are the methods of communication appropriate for women as well as men?

Gender-neutral: The dissemination of information and communication of project results are made available to all interested parties and project participants.

Gender-aware: The dissemination of information, and the communication of project results take into account levels of literacy, access to various media, cultural practices, and includes, women's organizations, women entrepreneurs, women's cooperatives.

Tips for success: Give yourself time to become familiar with the methodology and gain confidence in its application.

Ask a gender expert for help.

Remember that gender analysis adds value to your project and simply common sense.

What is the APEC Guide on Collection and Use of Sex Disaggregated Data

This guide stands as an adjunct to the APEC Guide for Gender Analysis. The process outlined in the Guide for Gender Analysis includes consideration of when and how to use sex-disaggregated data. This guide does not provide further steps to carry out the process. Instead it is a resource guide to highlight what sex-disaggregated data is useful, and where to get further information or training. There are a number of good publications available to assist APEC fora and member economies to improve their collection of sex disaggregated data and which illustrate standards and best practices. These are listed in the reference section.

Why an APEC Guide on collection and use of sex-disaggregated data

Sex disaggregated data is an essential input into gender analysis and the understanding of the different economic contributions, circumstances and realities of women and men. Sex-disaggregated data can provide information about how much women contribute to all aspects of society and economic activity in both their paid and unpaid capacities. Using sex disaggregated data can help APEC fora to decide on and carry out activities that are effective, equitable and beneficial for women and men, as well as their economies, and so gain the most benefit from their work.

Sex-disaggregated data can be used to:

• identify the different situation of women and men, including changes over time;
• consider the impact APEC activities will have on both women and men, and track the impact they do have;
• identify and define problems, develop options and choose the option which will be most effective and beneficial for both women and men;
• more fully understand the impact of events such as the regional economic crisis on women, and hence assist in formulating activities in response to the events;
• allocate resources and effort in a more equitable fashion;
• evaluate and monitor results and outcomes by sex.
• show progress or lack thereof of women using indicators and regular data publications.

More equitable results are likely when gender analysis using sex-disaggregated data is carried out. Economies, businesses and people all benefit when the range of women's current and potential input to economic progress is known and used in decision making.

What different types of data are useful?

Sex-disaggregated data means any data that is cross-classified by sex; that is presented separately for women and men, girls and boys.

Different types of sex-disaggregated data are useful for different purposes.

Gender indicators are specific statistics or other forms of evidence selected and presented to show the relative position of women and men in respect to goals, values or aims of specific activities. They are particularly useful for evaluating progress. They can be based on any type of data.

Cross-sectional data is collected at one point in time from a census or survey of the population. Cross-sectional data that measures the current situation for all subgroups of the population is most useful for establishing the current situation for women and men, hence identifying current needs.

Time series data is collected at different points in time. A time series shows the changing pattern over time for the population as a whole or for subgroups of the population. A major use of time series data is to show macro-economic trends, such as the growth of Gross Domestic Product. It could be used, for example, to look at the changing pattern of participation in education in relationship to macroeconomic changes. Care needs to be taken with time series data to ensure that users do not draw inappropriate conclusions about relationships between variables.

Longitudinal data is collected from units (individuals, firms or establishments) at one point in time, followed by repeat surveying of the same units . Such data from individuals is needed, for example, to study areas such as lifetime earnings and ability to save for retirement, the impact of having children on women's paid and unpaid work, or the long-term effects of a particular policy.

Cross-sectional, time series, and longitudinal data are all types of quantitative data. They are data that can be appropriately expressed in numbers.

Qualitative data, in contrast, relates to information that is often not appropriate to express in numbers. The researcher using such data is usually seeking to gain new understanding of a situation, experience or process by, for example, learning from detailed accounts that people give in their own words. Although non-numerical, qualitative data has its own structures and analytical methods. It is incorrect to apply a sampling logic to qualitative research data, as its collection methodology is not dependant on probability theory. Such information can be useful to understand factors making a difference to individuals in, for example, their ability to work in the paid labour force. Qualitative data may be particularly useful in the area of small business development to identify barriers to women. For example, qualitative interviews could be carried out with women running successful businesses to identify factors that contribute to success.

What data is relevant to the APEC priority areas?

Sex-disaggregated data is relevant in all APEC priority areas. The following are selected examples of useful sex disaggregated data in APEC priority areas.

• Trade and investment liberalisation

Trade liberalisation affects people and businesses across the board: those involved in exporting, importing, manufacturing for domestic markets and consumers both of raw products, machinery and goods for final consumption. The issues for women and men arise from their different roles and participation in each of these areas. These different roles cannot be analysed and the impacts assessed without data disaggregated by sex. Some examples of useful data would include the number of women and men involved in exporting by industry.

• Business facilitation

Women and men can face different problems in compliance with regulation (such as difficulty in assessing information which is being made available mainly through men's organisations). Information needed to facilitate business operations, such as information on barriers to exporting or barriers to expanding businesses, needs to be disaggregated by sex.

• Developing human capital

Women and men have quite different patterns of education and labour market participation. Human capital development can only be effective if these differences are known and activities appropriately designed for both sexes.

Useful data includes labour market activity and unpaid work by sex, such as women's and men's working conditions, occupational segregation, wages, productivity, career opportunities etc, basic data on education participation, and achievement at all levels, by sex.

Such data will be useful in identifying where HRD interventions are needed.

The Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG) Labour Market Information database has some data disaggregated by sex. The HRDWG, ISTWG, SMEPLG and TPT-WG conducted projects in which data has been collected on women.

• Fostering safe, efficient capital markets

Women can find finance much more difficult to access because they may have less direct ownership of assets. Women investors may have different views on what constitutes a safe investment and where they are prepared to put their capital. Useful data includes data on access to finance, size of loans, by sex.

• Strengthening economic infrastructure;

The economic infrastructure affects women and men as consumers, workers, business owners and investors. Any work on the economic infrastructure would need to consider the different roles and uses of the infrastructure to enable developments to be effective for all. As this area is so wide ranging, some examples only are given of where sex-disaggregated data could be used. Useful data could include sex disaggregated data on the use of different forms of transport, data on the demand for access to telecommunication facilities and reasons for it, data on the impact of tourism and the contribution of women and men to the tourism industry. Qualitative as well as quantitative information would be useful in many areas.

• Harnessing technologies for the future

Useful data could include data on participation in science and technological training, by level and sex, data on use and access to new technology within businesses by sex.

The Ad Hoc Group on Gender, Science and Technology of the Industrial, Science and Technology Working Group (ISTWG) held an Expert Group Meeting on Gender, Science and Technology in 1998, focussed on sex disaggregated data in science and technology. The ISTWG is also collecting descriptive data from all approved projects to identify the number of women and men participating.

• Promoting environmentally sustainable development

Women in the home have different experiences of environmental impact, and can contribute practical information such as how to improve energy efficiency among small scale consumers. Useful data could include information on energy use by sector, and sex of users; on women and men working in industries that are the focus of development projects, and in industries dependent on these.

• Encouraging the growth of Small and Medium Enterprises

Women are widely and often successfully involved in small and medium enterprises, but in often in different activities than men. Businesses operated by women may be successful for different reasons or may face different barriers to growth. Sex-disaggregated data on women and men's involvement in small and medium enterprises, by size, urban/rural and type of activity is critical to understanding their contribution to economic development and the constraints to economic growth and prosperity.

Data on women in the APEC region

Basic sex-disaggregation of economic and social data such as economic growth, labour market activity at all levels and educational participation is essential to monitor economic and social progress in the APEC region and identify problems and future priorities.

For example, data to support the analysis of the impact of women on trade, and the impact of trade on women is needed. Sex-disaggregated data on formal and informal employment, sex-disaggregated data on internal migration, and on changing incomes of households and sex-disaggregated information on changes in household composition could help illuminate the impact of the regional financial crisis on women and men. This would help answer questions such as have men or women been more affected by changes in the formal and informal labour market? How has this affected their families? What were flow on effect on women and men in rural communities? Were would recovery programs be most effectively targeted?

Effective use of data

Effective use of data is important for gender analysis and project success. Data can be used more effectively where:

• sex-disaggregated data is widely available, through tables in publications and electronic forms;
• the data used is appropriate and relevant, and its strengths and weaknesses are well documented and understood;
• users are trained in gender awareness in data analysis and interpretation;
• users have skills in data presentation.

There are a number of publications available to assist economies to improve their collection and use of sex disaggregated data, standards and best practices.

Resource List

Materials available to assist readers to collect appropriate data and improve the quality of existing data.

• Tony Beck and Morton Stelcner (1997) Guide to Gender–Sensitive Indicators, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) website: www.acdi-cida.ca/agency-e.htm

• Birgitta Hedman, Francesca Perucci, Pehr Sundstr鰉 (1996). Engendering Statistics – A Tool for Change, Statistics Sweden Publications Services website: www.scb.se/indexeng.htm

• United Nation (1997) Handbook for Producing National Statistical Reports on Women and Men, Sales No E.97.XVII.10. website: www.un.org

• Leroy Stone, Zeynep Karmen, W.Pamela Yaremko (eds) (1999) Gender Equality Indicators: Public Concerns and Public Policies Status of Women Canada.
  Website: www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/publish/text.html

The following web-site has information or references which may be helpful

• http://www.ids.ac.uk/eldis/stats/gen_stam.html This website, compiled by Sussex University in the UK, contains a good list of references on the topic "Statistical methodologies for the collection, analysis and presentation of gender- disaggregated data" although it does not have many recent references.

References containing sex-disaggregated statistics on the APEC region

• United Nations (1997) Wistat Women's Indicators and Statistics Database Sales No.E.96.XVII.14

• United Nations (1997) The World's Women 1995: Trends and Statistics. Sales No. E.95.XVII.2.

• United Nations (1998) Women and Men in the ESCAP region. Sales No E99.II.F.3

• World Bank Gender Net – country level data disaggregated by sex drawn from the World Development Indicators (WDI)   http://www.worldbank.org/gender/

Training Resources

Material available to assist with training, or developing training courses on sex-disaggregated data

• Training Users and Producers in Statistics, United Nations International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), 1995. website: www.un.org/instraw/

• Engendering Statistics – A Tool for Change. Birgitta Hedman, Francesca Perucci, Pehr Sundstr鰉, Statistics Sweden 1996. Website: www.scb.se/indexeng.htm

There are a number of reports available on training courses that contain useful material. For example:

• Training Users and Producers of Statistics on Gender Issues in the South Pacific, Report of the Seminar held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, 1992, INSTRAW, 1995

Organisations which may be able to provide training or advisory services

• INSTRAW (The International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women) www.un.org/instraw

• ESCAP (The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) http://unescap.org

• ESCAP Committee on Statistics http://unescap.org/stat/role-rc.htm

• SPC (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) www.spec.org.nc/En/statistics.htm

III APEC GUIDE ON THE INVOLVEMENT OF WOMEN

Background

The 1998 APEC Ministerial Meeting on Women recognized the scope and complexity of the issues facing women and APEC economies on the eve of the 21^st century, and cited the need for longer term perspective, sustained commitment, better coordination, equitable access to resources, and accountability of results." Moreover, recognizing the progress made on the advancement of women and the rapid pace of development in the APEC region, desires "to ensure that all APEC decision-making levels take into account the concerns and perspective of women in APEC in the different fora."

Strategies

At the APEC level

• Support for APEC projects and activities that seek to analyze and address the barriers to and opportunities for women's participation in APEC

The nature of support is likely to vary among committees, working groups, and other APEC bodies. Efforts can be exerted to collect and analyze data that are classified by sex. Examples of such efforts are the systematic preparation of participants' list and summary according to sex for all APEC meetings and activities, and continuing projects such as the Labour Market Information database (LMI) of the HRDWG.

• Networking and close co-ordination with various groups (both within and outside APEC) that are working to promote women's involvement in APEC

There are various economy-level, regional, and international efforts to address gender issues and women's concerns. Of special interest to APEC are organizations, councils, or units that can provide expert advice and services on improving women's involvement in APEC. Foremost among these groups is the Women Leaders' Network (WLN). In addition, there are business women's councils (or their confederations), national women's studies associations, women's units of labor or trade organizations, non-government organizations, and study centers that are engaged in advocacy, training, research, and other activities aimed at advancing women's status and promoting gender equality and equity.

Within APEC, different working groups, committees, and other bodies are engaged in or supporting gender-related initiatives (see, for instance, "APEC Secretariat's Gender-Related Developments in APEC, 1995-1999"). These efforts need to be coordinated and their results disseminated among APEC bodies

• Inclusion of more women in APEC fora, projects, and activities

A direct approach to greater women's involvement in APEC is increasing women's presence and participation in APEC bodies or fora, activities (including meetings), and projects. This also means increasing women's involvement in APEC-related fora like the ABAC.

APEC can encourage member economies to name women to decision-making posts, and to include women in their delegations to meetings and other fora. More particularly, APEC can urge the economies to designate more women to APEC delegations that are traditionally the exclusive domain of men.

At the economy level:

The realization of the goals and suggestions contained in the Joint Ministerial Statement of the 1998 APEC Ministerial Meeting on Women partly depends on the cooperation of member economies. APEC can encourage economies to undertake the following:

• Designate women as APEC contact or focal points and as delegates

Involvement of women in APEC fora, projects, and activities is largely constrained by whether women are nominated by their respective economies to APEC posts or to delegations to APEC meetings. To increase women's involvement in APEC decision-making, APEC can urge member economies to enable more women to assume leadership positions in APEC.

• Develop rosters of eligible women within their economies

Economies can seek out and develop rosters of eligible women so that there are easily available lists of qualified female candidates for participation in APEC fora, including decision-making roles. Specifically, they can draw on these lists for candidates for appointment to ABAC, to serve in working groups, as experts, participants, and speakers. The lists can include gender experts, women's studies academics, as well as female business and labor union leaders.

This page was last updated on 1 Feb, 2008