Presenting gender statistics

 

In compiling gender statistics, special care must be taken in the presentation of the data. Indeed, data presentation is crucial for a correct use and interpretation of the data. The data presentation and visualisation in tables and graphs should provide a clear message, attract readers, encourage further analysis, and stimulate demand for more information. In order to reach a broad audience data should be easily accessible in a user-friendly format. Data presentation also includes the appropriate presentation of relevant metadata, i.e. information about the data such as data sources, concepts and methodologies used, reference period, coverage, breaks in series, information on signs and symbols used (e.g. data not available, not applicable, provisional etc.), calculation and rounding methods.

Although the presentation of information on women and men follows the general rules for statistical presentation, one must keep in mind that the presentation aims at facilitating comparisons between women and men as well as increasing the awareness of gender differentials.

Large amounts of information such as comparisons between several indicators are most appropriately presented in tables; tables also allow for the presentation of data that vary in magnitude or for showing different kinds of statistics. Preparing user-friendly tables will give some guidelines on how to produce simple and attractive tables.

Visualisation of the data through graphs supplements the information given in tables and text and is very useful to highlight trends and differentials. Making user-friendly charts therefore introduces the adequate production of charts as well as the most important types of charts for gender statistics.

A common approach to show gender statistics for the analysis of gender differentials is by presenting data with the life cycle approach.

For further reading on how to present statistics in general and/or gender statistics specifically beyond the information made available on this site, please refer to our list of selected reference material.