Data 2X: Mapping Gender Data Gaps

Background

We keep statistics on everything we care about, from RBIs to ROI, the daily ups and downs of the Dow and our bank accounts. So if we’re serious about narrowing the gender gap and helping more girls and women, then we must get serious about gathering and analyzing the data that tell the tale.

– Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, July 2012

Data2X was launched in July 2012 and is an effort by the UN Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the US Government to address the gap in global sex disaggregated data through a combination of data review and assessment, partnership and advocacy. Improved gender data will guide policy, better leverage investments, and inform global development agendas, including the post-2015 process.

To date, the project has mapped key gender data sources and gaps in developing countries across five domains of women’s empowerment: (1) health, (2) education, (3) economic opportunities, (4) political participation, and (5) human security, as well as reviewed available databases on laws and policies that affect women. It suggests ‘ways forward’ to close the gaps using existing and new sources, including censuses and micro-level surveys, service and administrative records, and the potential use of ‘big data’ as a source of gender data to complement official statistics.

Soliciting Feedback

Data 2X is seeking feedback on the mapping document from gender experts, as well as data producers, users, and funding agencies, with the following goals:

a) Validate the data sources and gaps identified: Have we missed any important policy-oriented data gaps? (Note this document covers data gaps rather than research gaps.)

b) Obtain ideas for actionable partnerships: institutions, organizations, or companies well-positioned to fill select gaps, particularly in the near term (3-5 years).

How to Submit Feedback

The formal feedback period is now closed, but we always welcome the opportunity to hear from our partners and other experts in the field. Please contact us at data2x@unfoundation.org.

We greatly appreciate your efforts in helping to strengthen this initiative.

Next Steps for Data 2X: 2013-2014

For the rest of 2013 and throughout 2014, Data 2X will broker actionable partnerships among data funders, producers, and users to address select gender data gaps. The project will prioritize those gaps that can be addressed in the near-term and will seek out opportunities that take advantage of existing work or instruments that may already be in process, but require a connection or new partner in order to more fully fill a gap or strengthen a gender component.

Big data is a hot topic in discussions of the post-2015 ‘data revolution’ but applications for gender data have been limited to date. Data2X hopes to work with big data producers and users to pilot small research projects on the application of big datasets for closing specific gender data gaps.