Women and Men in the Caribbean Community

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Women and Men in the Caribbean CommunitySystems in Need of Coordination and StandardisationEven when data are available for many of the countries, it is not clear when variations in thelevels and trends are from differences between countries or differences in conceptsand national practices. Variations in the standards in education, related both in terms ofmaximum grades/forms within primary, and first and second cycles of secondary, and in thecontent of education, add to the complexities of interpreting inter-country variations.Thereare also, even within countries, differences in concepts and methods that yield differentestimates, signaling an urgent need for coordination among the producers of statistics. Bettercoordination of collection and dissemination of statistics at the national level will improvethe availability, quality and consistency of the statistics.Several actions are thus required to improve the content and coverage of future gendersensitive social reports.Possible ActionsThe Beijing+5 Review reaffirmed the commitment of governments to the goals of the Platformfor Action in respect to data and statistical systems. It reiterated the call to governments,acting alone as well as in concert with civil society and the international community, to:Provide national statistical offices with institutional and financial supportin order to collect, compile and disseminate data disaggregated by sex, ageand other factors as appropriate, in formats that are accessible to the publicand to policy-makers for, inter alia, gender-based analysis, monitoring andimpact assessment, and support new work to develop statistics and indicators,especially in areas where information is particularly lacking (UnitedNations, 2000b; para. 113[a]).Strengthening Producer – User CommunicationsIn this connection, there is need for statisticians to link with those who are the primaryusers of the information—the government’s gender institutional mechanism and thenon–governmental organisations (NGO)—to achieve the goal of monitoring progress onthe implementation of national policies, programmes and benchmarks for achieving genderequality. There is also a need for the training and sensitisation of stakeholders in thenuances of constructing indicators and communicating their function. The capacity ofnational statistical authorities also needs further improvement to fulfil the roles of coordinatingthe production of statistics and addressing the issues of data requirements and availability,the rigours in the collection and processing of primary data, reliability of secondarysources, and data compatibility where linkages and comparisons are appropriate. Withregards to the Caribbean sub-Region, ECLAC proposes that: “basic information needs to becentralised, a process involving not only systematisation but also the construction of systemsof common indicators” (ECLAC, 1999).126
Chapter 6: DATA REQUIREMENTS AND GAPSInstitutionalising the Compilation and Dissemination of Gender-sensitive IndicatorsAt national and regional levels, it is important to continue the process that has begun, and toidentify appropriate indicators and data sources to illuminate given issues. A review of theseissues and the relevant indicators would be needed periodically to take into account emergingissues and achievements in areas of concern. The review will take stock of:• currently available data and assessment of quality;• desirable indicators based on available data;• data required to fill gaps in the data;• process for collecting required data and developing new indicators.The process will also seek to evolve a sustainable system capable of monitoring the progressof women in the Region, leading to the regular production of a statistical publication ongender, which presents and interprets topical data on women and men in a form suitable fora wide range of non-technical users, as recommended in the Beijing Platform for Action(United Nations, 1995; para. 207[a]).Drawing on hard data to confirm perceptions or anecdotes of gender inequities can providethe much-needed support for efforts to deal with Caribbean gender concerns. Incisive andinsightful analysis and interpretation of the data should influence national and regional decision-makingand planning, bringing greater sensitisation, funding, education, training andcapacity-building to programmes and projects that target women and youth. It can also affordopportunities for governments to make more informed decisions. In addition, it can exposethe myth of existing and emerging gender concerns as “imported feminist ideas,” and beginthe real work of ending women’s marginalisation; increasing opportunities for women’scontribution to nation-building; mainstreaming gender in decision-making, planning andimplementation; and institutionalising women’s social, cultural, economic and political value.It demands the strengthening of national statistical offices and regional data collection strategies,especially with respect to gender differentials.In the final analysis, however, it is the dissemination and utilization of gender-sensitive dataand statistical reports that remain critical to the process of correcting gender imbalances andbuilding equitable and sustainable societies for all. This dissemination must reach beyondbureaucrats and administrators to a wide cross-section of schools, community activists andordinary women and men, in order to bring a deeper and more direct understanding of communityand national challenges, and to motivate personal and direct action in communitydevelopment and nation-building.127
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Sources of Data for the ReportThe P
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SOURCES OF DATAEducationData on gro
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Women and Men in the Caribbean Community

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