MeasuringRural Women’s Empowermentdefinition, conceptualization & measurement

Marco Zupi, Marco Zupi, CeSPICeSPI

29 May 2015

Cascina Triulza – Expo 2015, Milan

““There’s a world of difference between truth and There’s a world of difference between truth and facts.facts.

Facts can obscure the truthFacts can obscure the truth.”.”Maya AngelouMaya Angelou

Poet and writer with forebears in Sierra Leone (passed away on 28 May 2014)Poet and writer with forebears in Sierra Leone (passed away on 28 May 2014)

““There are three kinds of lies; There are three kinds of lies; there are there are lies, damned lies and statisticslies, damned lies and statistics””

Leonard H. CourtneyLeonard H. CourtneyLiberal supporter of the women's movement through the influence of his wifeLiberal supporter of the women's movement through the influence of his wife

““Since the measuring device has been constructed Since the measuring device has been constructed by the observer... what we observe is not nature by the observer... what we observe is not nature

itself but itself but nature exposed to our method nature exposed to our method of of questioningquestioning” Werner Heisenberg” Werner Heisenberg

A theoretical physicist and one of the key pioneers of quantum mechanicsA theoretical physicist and one of the key pioneers of quantum mechanics

““We see We see things not as they are, but as we things not as they are, but as we are are ......” ”

Anais NinAnais NinAuthor of novels and short stories, writer of eroticaAuthor of novels and short stories, writer of erotica

To quote some epigraphs …

1) reality

2) statistics

3) knowledge

1.

DefiningRural Women’s Empowerment

Defining Empowerment• If your definition of a word is to be any good, it If your definition of a word is to be any good, it

should say something general and specific. should say something general and specific. Its Its meaning must be unique meaning must be unique ((Nicomachean EthicsNicomachean Ethics).).

• Defining EMPOWERMENT (a ‘fuzzy’ term)::

• A A complex and elusivecomplex and elusive term may become an term may become an ambiguous and misleading term (with different ambiguous and misleading term (with different policy implications and discord in its measurement).policy implications and discord in its measurement).

• Transfer of control, competences and responsibility Transfer of control, competences and responsibility over decision-making and resources to people: over decision-making and resources to people: ability to make choicesability to make choices (=process of change) (=process of change)

• A A combinationcombination of immediate improvements in of immediate improvements in people's people's materialmaterial living standards ( living standards (personal personal dimensiondimension) and a ) and a psychological-socialpsychological-social & & politicalpolitical dimension (dimension (collectivecollective))

• To be able to decide and actTo be able to decide and act

Defining Women’s Empowerment: correlated GAD terms

• If conceiving development as a If conceiving development as a transformativetransformative process, women are powerful process, women are powerful agents of changeagents of change..

• 'Gender And Development'Gender And Development' (GAD) perspective: ' (GAD) perspective: the combination of the combination of gender gender mainstreamingmainstreaming strategies strategies across policies and priorities of goals across policies and priorities of goals at national and international level from above at national and international level from above and and women's women's empowermentempowerment practices practices, which , which incorporates social, political, institutional, incorporates social, political, institutional, economic and cultural relations (economic and cultural relations (Mikkelsen, Mikkelsen, 20052005).).

• Focus on the Focus on the social, institutional and cultural social, institutional and cultural construct construct and interpretation and interpretation rather than the rather than the biologicalbiological one of the sexes differences and one of the sexes differences and discrimination (discrimination (Ferber and Nelson, 1993Ferber and Nelson, 1993). ).

Defining Women’s Empowerment: correlated GAD key terms

• Women’s empowerment Women’s empowerment as an end it itself as an end it itself (feminism) (feminism) and instrumentalist and instrumentalist to development to development ('Girl Effect')('Girl Effect')

• Gender Gender equality equality as the main goal as the main goal ((Bejing, 1995Bejing, 1995))

• AgencyAgency as as ability to choose and to act to modify ability to choose and to act to modify realityreality in order to achieve a greater wellbeing, to in order to achieve a greater wellbeing, to make choices and control their own lives, playing make choices and control their own lives, playing a pro-active role in promoting development itself.a pro-active role in promoting development itself.

• Gender Gender mainstreamingmainstreaming, based on women's , based on women's empowermentempowerment framework, which can be framework, which can be operationalized through the concept of operationalized through the concept of agencyagency, , represents the strategies for addressing gender represents the strategies for addressing gender equalityequality (i.e. empowermentempowerment ≠ gender equality).

2.

ConceptualizingRural Women’s Empowerment

Conceptualization: the expansive process of capabilities

8

Available resources (goods & services)

Achieved functionings(results)

Choice(contextualized personal

preferences)

Individuals

Households

Communities

Regions/Nations

Capabilities set(opportunity set of achievable

functionings, freedom to achieves)

Conversion factors(material and non material

circumstances) 

Based on Ingrid Robeyns (2005) and Ingrid Robeyns, Roland Pierik (2007)

Global

Theory of change

Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment

CapabilitiesCapabilities is not the process, it is not the process, it is is the metrics the metrics of of development (that is both process of change development (that is both process of change and ends)and ends), as also the UN human rights-based , as also the UN human rights-based approach can beapproach can be

Against a new mantra of “process” über allesAgainst a new mantra of “process” über alles

Shift Shift from the problems from the problems (simplistic and negativist (simplistic and negativist problem analyses: ‘what is your problem?‘) to problem analyses: ‘what is your problem?‘) to potentials and aspirations, changes in potentials and aspirations, changes in knowledge/attitude/practiceknowledge/attitude/practice (KAP) (KAP)

Focus on Focus on agents of changeagents of change, and on their , and on their goals goals andand values and capabilitiesvalues and capabilities, as well as on , as well as on social social institutions institutions ((the emerging dynamics of complex the emerging dynamics of complex adaptive systems adaptive systems ))

The The ability to exercise choices ability to exercise choices is in terms of three is in terms of three interrelated dimensions (interrelated dimensions (Kabeer, 2000Kabeer, 2000):):

(i) (i) Pre-conditionsPre-conditions: material, human and social : material, human and social resourcesresources. Both actual allocation and expectation . Both actual allocation and expectation on institution (family, on institution (family, firmsfirms, community, market, , community, market, state) behavior, on the basis of rules and norms; state) behavior, on the basis of rules and norms;

(ii) (ii) ProcessProcess: the ability to define one’s goal and act : the ability to define one’s goal and act upon them (=upon them (=agencyagency), in decision-making through ), in decision-making through negotiation, resistance (=negotiation, resistance (=voicevoice & exit at & exit at individual individual and collective leveland collective level). Some norms may ensure ). Some norms may ensure outcomes without any exercise of agency;outcomes without any exercise of agency;

(iii) (iii) AchievementsAchievements: : functionings achievementsfunctionings achievements

Note: a composite index is not a way to show causal links

Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment

Pre-Pre-conditionsconditions

ProcessProcess AchievementsAchievements

ifif ifif

and these and these conditionsconditionshold truehold true

and this and this processprocesshold truehold true

then then

CapabilitiesCapabilities ( (Sen, 1985Sen, 1985): the potential that people have for ): the potential that people have for living the life they wantliving the life they want

Functioning Functioning AchievementsAchievements ( (Sen, Sen, 19851985): ways of being & ): ways of being & doingdoing

Conceptualizing Women’s Empowerment

Empowerment: a conundrum of dimensions

Political

Traditional formsof stratification

Ascribed formsof stratification

Life history

Environmental Security

Time

?

IsolationInstitutional

Economic

Labour marketposition

Social

Based on M. Nussbaum (2000) and R. Chambers (2007)

Empowerment: a conundrum of dimensions, but …

• There are many dimensions and factor but, as There are many dimensions and factor but, as Gunnar Myrdal (1975) said, Gunnar Myrdal (1975) said, reality is onereality is one..

• And the problems are not separate (economic, And the problems are not separate (economic, social, …) but just social, …) but just intermingled problemsintermingled problems..

• And relevant to the explanation of how social And relevant to the explanation of how social systems evolve, including the systems evolve, including the distribution of distribution of power power in society.in society.

• A holistic approach is necessary, and A holistic approach is necessary, and MyrdalMyrdal called it a called it a institutionalist approachinstitutionalist approach..

• Convergence between capabilities approach to Convergence between capabilities approach to women’s empowerment and women’s empowerment and Institutional Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD)Analysis and Development (IAD) framework framework (Elinor Ostrom, 1994)(Elinor Ostrom, 1994)

The importance of institutions

1414

Focus: institutional, socioeconomic and demographic, and physical factors that affect human behavior and incentives. Three levels of action to keep in mind:

• (1) operational (day-to-day activities that affect the world directly), • (2) collective choice (where decision-makers create rules to impact operational level

activities), • (3) constitutional choice (where decision-makers determine how collective choice

participants will be selected and the relationship among members: ex.: voting rules): useful for mainstreaming & integration

Roy Bhaskar, 1997

2.

MeasuringRural Women’s Empowerment

Measuring Women’s Empowerment

O b ie ttiv i ed e f in iz io n ed i sv ilu p p o

Te o rie eip o te s i

d i sv ilu p p o

M o d e llid i sv ilu p p o

P o litich e es tra te g ie

d i sv ilu p p o

S is te m i d id a tie

m isu raz io n ed e lla

p e rfo rm a n ce

R u o lo elez io n i

p e r g li a iu ti

Women’sEmpowerment

Objectives

NationalPolicies &Strategies

Theories &Hypotheses

Data systems&

Performance Measurement

Models

Lessons &Role of AidBased on

E. Thorbecke (2000)

Measuring Women’s Empowerment

• All data are imperfect. Measurement problems All data are imperfect. Measurement problems are universalare universal, but there are particular problems , but there are particular problems in developing countries.in developing countries.

• ““Africa’s statistical tragedyAfrica’s statistical tragedy” ” (Devarajan, 2013(Devarajan, 2013) ) on the quality and availability of quantitative on the quality and availability of quantitative evidence.evidence.

• Need for investment on statistics and data Need for investment on statistics and data collectioncollection: SDG & High Level Conference on the : SDG & High Level Conference on the Data Revolution in Addis Ababa (2015).Data Revolution in Addis Ababa (2015).

• A key purpose: “A key purpose: “a shift in the way that a shift in the way that datadata is is harnessed to harnessed to impact on development decision-impact on development decision-makingmaking, with a particular emphasis on building a , with a particular emphasis on building a culture of usageculture of usage.” (and relevant for .” (and relevant for empowerment)empowerment)

Measuring Women’s Empowerment

The requirements for this kind of measures are The requirements for this kind of measures are simple (simple (Dijkstra, 2006Dijkstra, 2006): ):

(i) a proper measurement should cover (i) a proper measurement should cover a limited a limited number of indicatorsnumber of indicators; but ; but

(ii) these indicators together should cover (ii) these indicators together should cover as many as many dimensionsdimensions of women's empowerment of women's empowerment as as possiblepossible;;

(iii) data should be (iii) data should be availableavailable for many countries for many countries and and at sub-national levelat sub-national level; ;

(iv) it should be (iv) it should be simple to calculate and to simple to calculate and to understandunderstand; ;

(v) it should (v) it should allow comparisonsallow comparisons between countries between countries and territories but also and territories but also over timeover time..

Measuring Women’s Empowerment

SMART Criteria for good indicators (PCM)SMART Criteria for good indicators (PCM)::

• It has to be ‘It has to be ‘SpecificSpecific’ enough for each level of ’ enough for each level of interestinterest

• It has to be ‘It has to be ‘MeasurableMeasurable’ ’

• Data should be ‘Data should be ‘AvailableAvailable’ at reasonable cost and ’ at reasonable cost and efforteffort

• It has to be ‘It has to be ‘relevantrelevant’ to intended outcomes and ’ to intended outcomes and outputsoutputs

• It has to be It has to be Time-boundTime-bound

Measuring Women’s Empowerment

Roche (2002) SPICED Criteria for good indicators:Roche (2002) SPICED Criteria for good indicators:

Measuring Women’s EmpowermentConsensus About Methods of Measurement/Assessment

• different methods generate different methods generate different sorts of different sorts of insightinsight

• different methods are open to different methods are open to different sorts of different sorts of error error and omissionand omission

• triangulationtriangulation through combinations of methods through combinations of methods and sources improves quality of insightand sources improves quality of insight

• standardised categories standardised categories and measures set in and measures set in advance advance help comparisons but are liable to give help comparisons but are liable to give distorted views distorted views of the realities of poor people and of the realities of poor people and miss muchmiss much

• participatory approachesparticipatory approaches, behaviors and , behaviors and methods can enable methods can enable people to express and analyze people to express and analyze the complexity, diversity and dynamism of their the complexity, diversity and dynamism of their realitiesrealities

Alternative data collection methods

Based on L. Dessallien (1996)

Map of indicators/indices on WE

OECD (2014)

SIGI (OECD-DC): SIGI (OECD-DC):

Conceptual Conceptual framework: framework:

5 sub-indices 5 sub-indices made up of 14made up of 14

indicatorsindicators providing detailedproviding detailed information oninformation on legal, culturallegal, cultural and traditionaland traditional practices (formal practices (formal

& informal & informal institutions) institutions) thatthat

discriminate discriminate against womenagainst women

Social Institutions & Gender Index

SIGI (OECD-DC): SIGI (OECD-DC):

2014 revision: a significant improvement 2014 revision: a significant improvement (changes in (changes in country coverage, classified -by level of discrimination- country coverage, classified -by level of discrimination- rather than ranked countries, indicators)rather than ranked countries, indicators)

Questionable: 1. variables includedQuestionable: 1. variables included

Questionable: 2. assigned score Questionable: 2. assigned score to qualitative variables:to qualitative variables:

0: Women & men enjoy the same rights in the legal framework & 0: Women & men enjoy the same rights in the legal framework & practice.practice.

0.25: The legislation is not well implemented.0.25: The legislation is not well implemented.

0.5: The customary laws and practices discriminate against women.0.5: The customary laws and practices discriminate against women.

0.75: The legislation is misleading.0.75: The legislation is misleading.

1: Women and men do not enjoy the same rights in the legal 1: Women and men do not enjoy the same rights in the legal framework.framework.

Questionable: 3. form to discretise continuous Questionable: 3. form to discretise continuous variables variables and normalize indices (and aggregation)and normalize indices (and aggregation)

Questionable: 4. sub-indices weighting method Questionable: 4. sub-indices weighting method ((polychoric PCApolychoric PCA))

Questionable: 5. functional Questionable: 5. functional (quadratic)(quadratic) form of the form of the averageaverage

Social Institutions & Gender IndexT

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Conceptualiztion issue

Questionable: 6. the focus on the central locationQuestionable: 6. the focus on the central location:: the way to summarize the values (the way to summarize the values (mean frameworkmean framework) ) is not relevant to address the key question of the is not relevant to address the key question of the empowement process:empowement process:

- Central tendencies can fail to capture informative - Central tendencies can fail to capture informative trends in the distribution (trends in the distribution (heavily tailed heavily tailed distributions distributions with many ‘outliers’, and intrinsec with many ‘outliers’, and intrinsec interest in the ‘poor’ – lower tail)interest in the ‘poor’ – lower tail)

- Importance of the Importance of the shape of the distribution shape of the distribution (the (the skewness and other higher-order properties)skewness and other higher-order properties)

- INEQUALITYINEQUALITY within countries DOES MATTER within countries DOES MATTER & MUST BE MEASURED (ex.: quintile regression)& MUST BE MEASURED (ex.: quintile regression)

Questionable: 7. territorial heterogeneity Questionable: 7. territorial heterogeneity (urban/rural)(urban/rural)

Questionable: 8. firms/markets are still missing Questionable: 8. firms/markets are still missing key institutions key institutions (no usage of corporate, only HH (no usage of corporate, only HH surveys)surveys)

Measuring Women’s EmpowermentP

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Measuring Women’s Empowerment Graph Graph

visualization:visualization:

from OECD from OECD RADAR RADAR GRAPHS TO GRAPHS TO MAKE MAKE COMPARISONS COMPARISONS

Measuring Women’s Empowerment

to to PICTOGRAPHPICTOGRAPHS to make S to make comparison comparison (including (including dispersion) dispersion)

and then and then

toto

Inequality of Inequality of empowermenempowerment within t within countriescountries

• Opportunity to build on the lessons learnt from the Opportunity to build on the lessons learnt from the MDGs in order to tackle gender inequality in all its MDGs in order to tackle gender inequality in all its dimensions and dimensions and realize the full spectrum of realize the full spectrum of women’s and girls’ rights as set out in women’s and girls’ rights as set out in international human rights norms and global international human rights norms and global agreementsagreements..

• SDGSDG: Measuring progress on new indicators & for all : Measuring progress on new indicators & for all groups: groups: increased demand on statisticsincreased demand on statistics

• Need of Need of disaggregated data disaggregated data (to ensure (to ensure monitoring on the monitoring on the inequalitiesinequalities), improving HH ), improving HH conceptconcept

• Mix of Mix of quantitativequantitative as well as as well as qualitativequalitative and and participatoryparticipatory (innovative: (innovative: ICTICT) ) methods of methods of data data collectioncollection

• Need of resources & Need of resources & capacity to collect & capacity to collect & evaluate/ orient policies: evaluate/ orient policies: real empowerment at real empowerment at national levelnational level

To summarize some key challenges: The SDGs and Methods in use at national level

THANK YOUmarco.zupi@cespi.it