Disseminating gender statistics

 

USERS & THEIR NEEDS

 

Gender statistics are of interest to a wide range of users and are needed in various contexts such as:

• Informing the media and the public.
• Formulating, monitoring, and evaluating policies, programmes, and projects.
• Analysing causes and effects of societal phenomena.

These contexts already reveal the broad range of user needs, from trained users (such as statisticians, economists, social scientists, certain policy makers, etc.) to often less trained users (such as media, many policy makers, the general public, NGO's, etc.). Depending on the degree of statistical training and the purpose of the gender statistics themselves, users' requirements towards the statistical information will vary from simple and aggregated information to information provided at a greater level of detail. In addition, the degree of familiarity and understanding of gender issues needs to be considered. Gender issues advocates, member's of women's machinery, and NGO's that deal with women's issues generally have a good understanding of gender analysis while other users, such as policy makers or the media, may require more guidance. Hence, users of gender statistics can be classified as follows:

 

 

Source: Engendering Statistics. A tool for change. B. Hedman, F. Perucci, P. Sundström. Statistics Sweden, 1996.