Unit 3: How to mainstream gender in ILO operations

Information collection

Sources of information

The following are selected existing sources of gender-related information pertaining to a particular country or sector:

• national or sample surveys
• studies reported in local and international journals
• reports on projects by NGOs, donors and other agencies
• gender and development country level studies carried out by NGOs, donors and other agencies

Other possible sources of data include:

• the national statistical office
• the census bureau
• the labour ministry and other relevant ministries
• training or research institutions
• local universities
• local NGOs and women's organisations
• UN agencies and other donors and partners

[The above lists were adapted from Fong and Bhushan, Toolkit on Gender and Agriculture: Gender Toolkit Series No. 1, 1996, World Bank, Washington, DC.]

The following is an example of one of the several sources of data on gender-related issues available within the UN system:

UN. 1997. WISTAT Women’s Indicators and Statistics Database (Version 3): User’s Guide Reference Manual. United Nations: New York.

This guide contains detailed statistics and indicators on a wide range of topics, disaggregated by sex where possible, for 212 countries. It describes the content and structure of the WISTAT database, lists its statistical sources, and gives data availability for each series. The period coverage is roughly from 1970 to 1993, with projections for certain series extending forward to 2025.

Selected readings

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