COVID-19 RESPONSES GLOBAL

INSIGHTS

• The WomanStats Project Database contains information in over 350 variables relating to women in countries with a population over 200,000.
• The Worldbank has multiple databases with data on women in over 260 countries dating back to 1990.
• The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe has compiled a single integrated database from national and international sources containing data related to women.

OVERVIEW

Historical databases that contain education, income, and personal wealth statistics on women around the world include the EIGE Gender Statistics Database, WomanStats Database, OECD Database, Worldbank Database, UN Global Gender Statistics Database, UNECE Statistical Database, UN Data. Below is a brief overview of each.

FINDINGS

After a thorough search of global databases related to gender statistics, we found that very few contained data dating back over 20 years. Dates varied widely by indicators and countries. The databases maintained by OECD, Worldbank, and UNECE had some data sets dating back to 1990. Some of the data sets from UN Data and Global Gender Statistics date back to 1998-1999. The databases maintained by EIGE and WomanStats date back to the early 2000s. The Worldbank and United Nations have the largest set of databases compiled from multiple global sources.

1. European Institute for Gender Equality Statistics Database 

The EIGE has been collecting data on women since 2003. The database contains information on gender from all over the European Union as part of the European Commission's Strategy on Gender Equality. Topics covered include population and demography, health and mortality, education and training, work and labor market, and financial and economic situations.

2. WomanStats Project Database 

The WomaStats Project has been collecting gender data on all countries with a population over 200,000 since 2001. It includes information in over 350 variables including health and mortality, employment and labor, land ownership and property rights, and education and literacy.

3. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Databases

The OECD has multiple databases regarding gender for almost every country in the world. The historical data varies by database ranging from 1990 to present. Data has been collected on age of marriage, literacy, health, economic status, gender wage gap, employment and labor.

4. Worldbank Databases 

The Development Data Group division of the Worldbank collects and maintains databases on over 260 countries around the world. Most of the statistics date back to 1990 and are presented in chart, table or map form. Tables can be downloaded into Excel. There are databases specific to gender covering education rates, employment, and health. However, gender data is also available in other databases related to education, health, social development, and social protection.

5. UN Global Gender Statistics Database

These databases were mandated by the United Nations Statistical Commission and maintained by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics (IAEG-GS). They include 52 quantitative and 11 qualitative indicators addressing gender related topics such as economic structures, education, health, public life and decision-making, and human rights. Dating varies by topic ranging from 1998 to present.

6. UNECE Statistical Database 

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Statistical Database is compiled of data collected from by national and international sources in order to provide a single integrated database. Indicators include education, health and mortality, population, public life and decision-making, work and economy, and work-life balance. Dates of data vary by indicator and topic ranging from 1990 to present.

7. UN Data 

The United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) maintains an online database on a variety of topics including gender information. Dates of data vary by topic ranging from 1999 to present. Resources available for gender data sets include literacy rates, population ratios, employment ratios, gender parity, life expectancy, employment status by industry, and health data.

CONCLUSION

Databases with historical statistics relating to women include the EIGE Gender Statistics Database, WomanStats Database, OECD Database, Worldbank Database, UN Global Gender Statistics Database, UNECE Statistical Database, UN Data.