Financing as a key enabler for better gender statistics systems

Abstract

The availability of gender statistics has increased since the beginning of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), but as of 2024, 44 percent of the gender statistics included in the SDGs remain missing. Other measures of capacity, such as the Gender Data Outlook and the Gender Data Compass also find that whether assessed by NSOs themselves or by users, the availability of gender statistics is low. This gap is a function of a lack of technical capacity, uneven observance of mandates to produce gender statistics, and limited or missing political incentives to prioritize gender statistics. However, chronically insufficient financing is also to blame, which means that vital resources are missing to gather data, produce publications, and conduct gender bias and gender equality training. Yet, financing for gender statistics is still a relatively new concern of the international development community, whether for national statistical offices, bilateral donors, ministries of finance, or among civil society advocates and philanthropic partners.

While financing is clearly needed to improve gender statistics systems, the financial outlook for low- and middle-income countries is dire due to high debt servicing costs and shrinking development assistance, requiring innovative approaches to fund gender statistics activities within severe budget constraints. This paper advances the argument that gender statistics financing operates based on demand signals, and the current underfunding cycle can be transformed into a virtuous cycle by effectively meeting the demand for gender statistics.