Relevance for gender statistics
Sex, together with age, represents the most basic type of demographic information collected for each individual in the population census. Of all the topics investigated in population censuses, sex and age are more frequently cross-classified with other characteristics of the population than are any other topics. Sex disaggregation of data is a fundamental requirement for gender statistics. There are variations by sex for many socio-economic and demographic characteristics collected through a census, such as education, economic activity, migration, disability or living arrangements. In addition, population counts by sex, age and other characteristics, combined with information from civil registration system and other administrative sources, are the basis for calculating age specific fertility rates, sex and age specific mortality rates, enrolment rates for boys and girls, and, sometimes, sex-disaggregated rates for employment or unemployment.
Marital status, usually defined in relation to the marriage laws or customs of the countries, is a basic demographic information necessary to identify particular forms of unions (such as consensual unions or polygamy), and certain marriage practices (such as child marriage) that are often to the disadvantage of women. Information on marital status can also show whether women tend to be more often than men among widowed, separated or divorced, statuses that for women are often associated with economic insecurity and lack of support in rearing children.
Information on religion, ethnicity and indigenous people should be used as breakdown variables for gender statistics, especially when cultural factors are suspected to be one of the determinants of gender differences. For example, age at marriage for women, age gap between husband and wives, number of children born, and educational attainment for women as compared to men are often influenced by traditional practices, women’s status in society or preferences for sons. These factors tend to be more often observed among certain religious or ethnic groups. Nevertheless, questions on religion, ethnicity and indigenous people are sensitive questions and their inclusion in the census should be carefully considered.
Improving data collection from a gender perspective
Use of detailed categories of marital status that would capture various forms of informal unions improves the adequacy gender statistics. The 2008 P&R for Population and Housing Censuses recommends that at least five categories of marital status be identified for each individual in relation to the marriage laws or customs of the country: (a) single or never married; (b) married; (c) widowed and not remarried; (d) divorced and not remarried; (e) married but separated – legally or de facto separated. However, from a gender perspective, it is important to have more detailed categories, reflecting various types of unions. In some countries, additional categories are included in the marital status classification: customary unions, such as registered partnerships and consensual unions, which are legal and binding under law; persons who are contractually married but not yet living together as husband and wife. Some countries may distinguish between formal marriages and de facto unions; and between persons legally separated and those legally divorced. Although not common, the collection of additional information related to polygamous or polyandrous marital status is needed in some countries.