Gender and Development:

Introducing the Gender, Institutions

and Development Data Base

Johannes Jütting and Denis Drechsler

OECD Development Centre

Norway Ministry of Foreign Affairs

O s l o  9 M a r c h 2 0 0 7
I Gender Equality Matters

II Measuring Gender Equality: The GID-Data Base

III Improving Gender Equality: What Can be Done?

IV Next Steps

2
 I) Gender equality matters…
 Gender equality = women and men have equal
conditions for realising their full human rights and for
contributing to, and benefiting from economic, social,
cultural and political development.
 Gender equality is an important goal in itself (MDG 3)…
 … and also contributes to the achievement of other
objectives:
- stimulate growth and reduce poverty
- reduce inequities
- contribute to child development

3
 … but what determines it?

 Causalities between development and gender

inequalities not clear
 2 main schools of thinking

- Modernisation-neoclassical approach

- Feminist thesis

 Measurement problems: What? How?

4
 Main messages

 Apart from having an intrinsic value, gender equality is

an untapped source that can boost economic growth
 Improving gender equality needs to start with changing
mindsets
 Both messages are relevant for OECD and non-OECD
countries
 OECD countries: aging population, decline in the dependency
ratio, double dividend from gender equality: increasing work
force and improving demographics
 Non-OECD countries: better human development, higher
female labour force participation, more sustainable growth

5
 Challenge in OECD countries:
Reverse declining fertility
2.7 2.7
2.6 2.6
2.5 2.5
2.4 2.4
2.3 replacement level of 2.1 2.3
2.2 2.2
2.1 2.1
2.0 USA 2.0
1.9 1.9
1.8 1.8
1.7 OECD-27 1.7
1.6 1.6
1.5 1.5
EU-19
1.4 1.4
1.3 Japan 1.3
1.2 1.2
1.1 1.1
1.0 1.0
1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2002

Source: OECD (2005)

6
More women employed = More babies born
Cross-country correlation between women employment
rates and fertility rates between 1980 and 1999

0.8

0.6

0.4

0.2

-0.2

-0.4

-0.6

-0.8
80
81

82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91

92
93
94
95
96
97

98
99
19
19

19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19
19

19
19
19
19
19
19

19
19
Source: OECD (2005)

7
 Previous analyses have mostly looked
at women employment rates…
1980 2000

3.4 2.6
IRL
MEX
3.0
KOR 2.2 ISL
USA

Total fertility rate

Total fertility rate

2.6 NZL
IRL
NOR
PRT 1.8 FRA AUS
2.2 GRC DNK
ESP NZL AUS FIN NLD
GBR GBR
FRA USA PRT CAN
1.8 ITA BEL SWE KOR
JPN SWE CHE
1.4 HUN DEU
FIN POL AUT
NLD AUT CHE JPN
1.4 DEU
ITA SVK
ESP CZE
1.0 1.0
20 30 40 50 60 20 30 40 50 60 70
Employment rates of women Employment rates of women

Source: OECD (2005)

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 …while people’s mindsets are
equally, if not more, important.

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 Gender equality can be a powerful
source of economic development…
60

50

40

30

20

10

0
OECD-TOP EAP-OECD EAP non-OECD SA

GDP pc (in '000) Women in paid labor, non agricultrual sector (in %)

Source: Gender, Institutions and Development Data Base, OECD (2006).

Note: OECD-TOP refers to United States, Ireland, Norway, Iceland
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 …and can directly impact
countries’ growth rates
Growth effect of closing the gender gap in schooling.
4
Actual growth rate
Projected growth rate
3
(percent)

0
Sub-Saharan Africa South Asia Middle East/North Africa
Source: “Engendering Development”, in World Development Report 2000/01, “Attacking Poverty”,
Washington: World Bank.

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 II) Measuring Gender Equality:
The GID Data Base
 A new tool for researchers and policy makers to:
 quantify and measure gender equality
 build indicators of gender equality
 compare the status of women across countries
 analyse obstacles to gender equality

 Covers 161 countries and has 60 indicators

 Includes institutional variables that range from
intra-household behaviour to social norms

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 Methodological Framework
Input Variables Output Variables

Social Institutions (A)

e.g. Family Code, Physical Integrity, Civil
Liberties, Ownership Rights

Economic Role of Women (D)

Access to Resources (B) e.g. share of women in wage
e.g. Health, Education employment in the non- agricultural sector

Political Empowerment (C)

e.g. seats in parliament held by women

Source: Own Illustration.

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 GID-Indicators : Social Institutions
Physical Integrity  Legislation punishing acts of violence against women
 Prevalence of female genital mutilation
 Missing Women
Family Code  Marriage before the age of 20
 Acceptance of polygamy within a society
 Parental authority granted to father and mother equally
 Inheritance practices in favour of male heirs
Ownership Rights  Women’s access to land ownership
 Women’s access to bank loans
 Women’s access to property other than land
Civil Liberties  Freedom of movement
 Obligation to wear a veil in public

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 Social Institutions and Female
60
Labour Force Participation
GHA
UKR
ISLSVK
BGR
EST
NZL VNM
SWE
GBR FINRUS HND NAM
CAN
NORAUS
USA
COL
DNK ISR
POL
ARG
IRL
FRA
CHEHUN
PRT
THABRAARM BWABEN
DEU
NLD URY
CZE
ROU
AUT
BEL
PAN LKA
PRY
KOR
ECUVEN
ITA
PHL
GRC NIC TGO
40

ESP JPN
CRI
MUS
LUX HTI CHN ALB ZAF
KEN
ETH
MEX CUB
CHLPER MYS MRT
BOL
MMR FJI UGA ERI MLI
DOM NGA
MLT
SLV IDN CAF
GNB
ZMB
TZA
TUN MDG AGO
MAR
SEN LBN OMN
KWT JOR BGD
CMR ZWEEGY
20

TUR CIV
SYR IND SDN
IRN
LBY DZA BFA UAE SAU
MWINPL BHRMOZ
GNQ
NER PAK
YEM
TCD
0

0 .2 .4 .6 .8
Institutions

Fitted values WWORKING (non-agri %)

Source: GID Database

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 Social Institutions: Income Perspective
0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0
LIC HIC (non OECD) LMC UMC HIC OECD

Family Code Physical Integrity Civil Liberties Ownership Rights

Scale: 0 (minimum) to 1 (maximum) = level of discrimination through social institutions
Source: GID Database

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 Social Institutions: Regional Perspective
0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0
SA MENA SSA EAP ECA LAC OECD

Family Code Physical Integrity Civil Liberties Ownership Rights

Scale: 0 (minimum) to 1 (maximum) = level of discrimination through social institutions
Source: GID Database

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 The GID Data Base Online

http://www.oecd.org/dev/institutions/GIDdatabase

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 III) Improving Gender Equality:
What Can be Done?

 OECD countries:
 Change mindsets
 Adapt policies to allow better work-family balance
 Specific instruments: taxes, allowances, leave provision etc.
 Non-OECD countries:
 Improve data collection and monitor progress
 Better understand local specificities
 Ensure effective design and implementation of laws
 Strengthen women’s voice
 Communicate benefits of reforms

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 IV) Next Steps

 Consolidate the data base

 Data quality and variable selection
 Composite indicators

 Conduct country case studies

 What social institutions impact gender equality?
 How can they be measured?

 Outreach and networking activities

 International organisations and local statistical offices
 Advocacy in donor and partner countries

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