Doubling the impact,halving the burden: Towards a shared responsibility for gender data use

Abstract

The true measure of success in gender data capacity lies in data use, ensuring data informs policy making and drives progress towards gender equality. Allowing policy makers, practitioners and the wider public a better understanding of gendered inequalities and how they evolve can strengthen decision making processes and promote government accountability. While past efforts to boost countries’ capacity to produce gender data have resulted in significant progress, newer understandings of capacity also encompass accessibility and use, shifting the focus from merely addressing data gaps to bridging the gap between gender data availability and their use. Consequently, capacity building efforts must look further than the national statistical system to engage a broad range of stakeholders and navigate challenges and opportunities to advance gender data use, such as digitalisation, changing data financing landscapes, and an increasing appreciation of citizen data. This article explores this wider understanding of gender data capacity and the shared responsibility it entails. It explores mechanisms government and non-government stakeholders can employ to monitor gender data use and the extent to which development partners can support this. The paper draws on over 50 cases of gender data use across 30 countries, over 100 interviews, and findings from the Gender Data Outlook 2024. The article recommends sustainable and collective ways to foster greater gender data use, balancing the responsibilities of data users and producers.