UNIFEM Asia-Pacific and Arab States
Regional Programme for Engendering Economic Governance
demystifying economics and empowering women

 

Engendering the Nepal National
Population and Housing Census 2001

Prepared by Ms. Shavitri Singh
UNIFEM Delhi Office, Consultant

The idea of sensitizing the 2001 Population and Housing Census in Nepal was to review the traditional approach in order to produce gender statistics by using improved concepts, definitions, classifications and methods to reflect the gender issues in society. The statistical system in Nepal is decentralized. Censuses and other large scale surveys are carried out by the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), while small scale surveys and statistical activities are carried out by other ministries, departments and agencies. Each census and survey has its own limitations and each agency faces restrictions in conducting censuses or surveys within its specific discipline. Hence, a user should not expect all the gender-specific information they might want from a single census or a single survey. Adequate gender-specific information on all spheres of social and economic life will become available if and only if the whole statistical system becomes aware of gender issues and undertakes special actions to ensure that their data reflects gender issues.

The population census is one of the largest statistical activities in Nepal. The 2001 Population and Housing Census is the tenth decennial census in the history of census taking in Nepal. Like other censuses and surveys, the 2001 census faced limitations of resources, humanpower and time. In spite of these, the 2001 census has aimed to update population, socio-economic and demographic data and maintain the continuity of the census taking in order to measure inter-censal charges in these data. In this 2001 census, gender issues were integrated in the census process in all the steps from conceptualizing to planning and producing the census data. A number of UN agencies, including UNDP, UNFPA, UNIFEM, and UNICEF through the UN inter-agency group and the EU (European Union) supported the various activities at different stages of the census. Each UN agency demonstrated keen interest in promoting the production of sex-disaggregated data and data addressing gender issues.

Objectives

Long term

To enhance women's empowerment and participation in the social, economical and political development of the country.

Short term

To mainstream a gender perspective in the planning, design and the operation of the 2001 censuses.

Activities

Pre-enumeration Phase

The main activities undertaken during the pre-enumeration phase were:

In order to mainstream a gender perspective in these activities, the UN inter-agency group maintained constant touch directly and indirectly with and supported CBS, including through a series of auxiliary activities:

Gender orientation workshops

With the support of the UN inter-agency Group, a Gender Orientation Workshop was held on 14-15 September 1998 for senior management of the Central Bureau of Statistics. The main objective was to provide exposure to gender concepts, insights into gender concerns in statistics and highlight the urgency of integrating gender concerns into the 2001 Population and Housing Census.

Similarly, a Gender Orientation Workshop was held for mid-level management of the Central Bureau of Statistics on 16-17 September 1998. The specific aim of the workshop was to arrive at a common understanding of a gender perspective in statistical activities and then develop a process to make the 2001 Population and Housing census fully gender sensitive.

Brainstorming session to develop a media campaign

In addition to designing a gender-sensitive census, it was equally important to make respondents aware of the importance of the inclusion of gender sensitive questions in the census schedules, so that their responses would also be gender sensitive. In this connection, a half day brainstorming session on "Media campaigning for population census 2001 by integrating gender concerns" was jointly organized by UNIFEM and CBS on 5 April 1999. It was attended by CBS staff, media people and representatives of government organizations and UN agencies. The aim was to review and assess past census media campaigns and identify the best ways to make all concerned aware of the census and the integration of gender concerns in the census. As a result, a telefilm and poster were developed and widely utilized to raise awareness among the population.

Establishing gender-oriented technical committees

In addition to the traditional Population Census Technical Committee, which covers technical aspects of the census, four other committees were established to deal specifically with gender concerns at the various stages of the census. These were:

These committees focused on gender concerns in the census processes. The CBS made the census schedules, instruction manuals and publicity materials more gender-responsive by endorsing the additions, deletions and modifications proposed by interactive sessions, meetings and discussions held by the Committees. The fourth committee was fully involved in the preparation process of the "Nepal standard classification of occupation and industry" to 4 digit code level to provide more detailed classifications for women and men in dignified and undignified occupations and industries. Financial assistance provided by UNIFEM enabled the committees to operate smoothly for the years 1999-2000.

Workshop on mainstreaming gender in census

In order to share the ideas of integration of gender concerns in the 2001 Population census with a wider circle and ensure the extent of gender sensitization process is optimum, a UNDP supported workshop on "Mainstreaming gender in 2001 census" was held on 24-25 September 2000. A number of census experts and gender experts worked together to develop consensus on integration of gender in the 2001 census. The output of the joint work of the census and gender experts was presented and analyzed in a follow up workshop on 24-25 October 2000. The final output of these workshops served as complementary materials to the work of the CBS and its census committees previously described.

Training of census personnel

Field personnel, especially enumerators, are the real mediators who translate the concept of the census into reality. To build their capacity to understand and incorporate a gender perspective in their work, census staff from the central to field level were trained by tier. A number of gender experts were identified and trained in the census perspective in order to strengthen the gender perspective in the regular training provided to census staff. Specific gender training modules and materials were also developed. Using these materials and gender trainers, gender was integrated into all tiers of census training.

The Enumeration Phase

Actual enumeration of the census was carried out in two stages: the household listing and census enumeration. Activities to mainstream gender in this phase included:

Mobilization of female field personnel

Women were recruited to form approximately 21 percent of enumerators throughout the kingdom. The involvement such women enumerators was regarded as important in encouraging women respondents to handle the gender-specific questions included in the census schedules and to obtain reliable responses. The women enumerators also stood out as role models and a symbol of the importance given to gender in the census activities and to remind male enumerators of the need for reliable gender-sensitized responses. In addition, women were mobilized to form 10 per cent of supervisors, playing a key role in ensuring a quality census and reliable responses on gender sensitive questions.

Publicity Campaign

The additional publicity materials portraying gender concepts and explaining the gender terminologies involved in census topics developed during the pre census period were widely aired through various media at the national, regional, district, Village Development Committee and municipality levels. The continued publicity campaign throughout the enumeration period played a catalytic role in sensitizing respondents, both women and men.

The Post enumeration Phase

Post enumeration activities included the Post-Enumerator Survey (PES), data processing and publication and dissemination of census results. Gender-related activities included:

Gender concerns in general census tabulation

The statistical tables designed in the general census tabulation plan were disaggregated by sex in all relevant cases. In this respect, supplemented by additional tables, the general tabulation plan enabled the census results to reflect to a much greater extent than previous censuses, the new concepts of the 1993 SNA and ILO standard of economic activity and work participation of women and men.

New gender specific approaches

The application of newly constructed Nepal Standard Classification of Occupation (NSCO) and Nepal Standard Industry Classification (NSIC) in bringing out the census results at the 4-digit level provided a unique opportunity to provide detailed breakdowns of women and men in dignified and non-dignified occupations and industries. In addition, a framework providing supplementary gender-specific information and a sample data set for further gender analysis formed part of the integration of gender into the 2001 census.

Gender Specific Census results

The essence of the gender sensitization of the census process will be reflected in the final output: the census results. However, some gender-sensitive data in general census tables may be concealed within the mass of other census data, making it difficult for users to find the data they need and greater details of gender sensitive data is beyond the scope of general census results. Thus, some tables addressing typical gender issues from general census results and detailed gender sensitive data process further were planned for presentation in one location. With the support of UNIFEM, these will be published in a separate volume(s) to bring out the "gender specific census results" for planners, policy makers, researchers and the general public.

Conclusion

Gender sensitization of the 2001 Population and Housing Census in Nepal required a number of activities in three phases. The pre-enumeration phase involved inclusion of a number of gender-specific questions in the census schedules, modification and standardization of concepts and definitions for technical terms, preparation of a Nepal standard classification of occupation and industry (NSCO and NSIC). A key feature of the enumeration phase was gender sensitization of respondents through a publicity campaign and training and supervision to ensure a gender-sensitive enumeration process. The post-enumeration phase is implementing a special tabulation and publication scheme in conjunction with the regular census data dissemination and publication activities. Due to the process of gender sensitization, the 2001 census is more elaborate in many respects than previous censuses of Nepal. Hence, it should serve the purposes of general users as well as gender-sensitive planners, policy makers, researchers, users and, above all, women’s groups and feminists.

dated: 1May2003