Enhanced Access to Data Can Reduce the Gender Gap

Researchers from the FREE Network institutes have authored the policy brief ‘Closing the Gender Data Gap,’ published to commemorate and raise awareness on International Women’s Day, celebrated on March 8.

In recent decades, advancements in documenting historical developments, coupled with enhanced data access and novel approaches to data collection, have significantly augmented comprehension of the distinct economic outcomes experienced by women and men. Today, knowledge extends considerably further in areas such as labor market outcomes, income levels, lifelong wealth accumulation, educational investments, pension dynamics, consumption patterns, and time utilization—particularly in relation to caregiving and household responsibilities.

Researchers from the FREE Network institutes have assembled a concise overview of pivotal studies that have reshaped the understanding of economic disparities between women and men, often leveraging access to distinctive data sources. This compilation underscores the imperative for improved data quality, emphasizing its crucial role in the strategic design of policies aimed at mitigating these differences effectively.

Four key insights from the policy brief:

1. Governments and public institutions should make increasing amounts of digitized information available for research purposes.
2. Funding should be available to collect data through surveys, which can be combined with details available in administrative sources to leverage survey data and the precision of official statistics.
3. Information must be collected regularly to ensure that the consequences of various major events, such as legislative changes, conflicts, pandemics, or natural disasters, can be identified.
4. Innovative data sources, such as information from mobile apps or social media, can provide additional useful insights into socio-economic trends, old and new dimensions of inequalities, and regular updates on different aspects of gender disparities.

The policy brief ‘Closing the Gender Data Gap’ is authored by Michal Myck (CenEA), Monika Oczkowska (CenEA), Pamela Campa (SITE), Maria Perrotta Berlin (SITE), and Jesper Roine (SITE). It is available in the FREE Network’s policy briefs section.

For media or press information, please get in touch with Maria Perrotta Berlin, Professor at SITE, phone: 0737332198, Email: Maria.Perrotta [at] hhs.se.