Count Her In
What gender data can reveal about poverty

March 2024

This International Women's Day, a prominent theme is 'Count Her In: Invest In Women. Accelerate Progress.'

To count her in, we need to start by counting her.

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Reads 'Globally, we don't know how many women live in poverty' Reads 'Globally, we don't know how many women live in poverty'

How can we count her in when we don't count her at all?

The available data is incomplete.

This is because routine poverty measurement is often measured at the household level. That is, it defines everyone in the household as poor or not poor based on one person's view of household circumstances.

The problem with this approach is that it assumes that household resources are distributed equally amongst all members. But this is rarely true. Measuring the poverty of households hides the differences that exist between people living in the same home.

At Equality Insights, we know that when we ask women directly about their lived experiences, we uncover insights that might've been missed otherwise. Let us show you what is revealed when we lift the invisibility cloak and ask women in the household about their lives…

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An animation of a man and women inside a house. A woman is stirring a pot on a stove. There is smoke coming from the pot that reads '64 minutes'.
An animation of a woman stirring a pot on a stove and a man sweeping outside. There is smoke coming from the pot - inside the house, next to the woman, it reads 105 minutes. Outside the house, next to the man, it reads 24 minutes.
An animation of a woman stirring a pot on a stove and a man sweeping outside. There is smoke coming from the pot - inside the house, next to the woman, it reads 105 minutes. Outside the house, next to the man, it reads 24 minutes.
An animation of a woman stirring a pot on a stove and a man sweeping outside. There is smoke coming from the pot - inside the house, next to the woman, it reads 105 minutes. Outside the house, next to the man, it reads 24 minutes.

Take this example from Fiji in 2015 - the average exposure to fumes from cooking for a household was 64 minutes a day.

However, when we measured at an individual level, it was revealed that men in the Fiji sample were exposed to fumes for an average of 24 minutes per day.

Women were exposed to harmful fumes for an average of 105 minutes per day - four times as long as men - likely due to women taking on more domestic and household labour, such as cooking.

This had significant associated health consequences, with women twice as likely than men to suffer health problems related to unclean fuel, and three times as likely to experience severe health problems.

Most poverty measurements focus on money, or things people of all genders have in common. This overlooks the areas of life that are shaped by gender, which can have ongoing impacts on poverty and inequality.

By ensuring that questions reflect the experiences of all genders, we are able to see the data gaps that mask gender inequality. These data gaps not only limit effective policy, but at times even perpetuate and exacerbate inequity.

In Solomon Islands in 2022, we found that 38% of people who had menstruated in the last year reported that they had not always had enough sanitary products to meet their needs - that is over one-third of respondents.

This is why we collect data about family planning, access to menstrual products and sanitation facilities, as part of our individual-level, gender-sensitive approach to measuring poverty.

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An animation of, on one side, a man in high viz holding money walking in front of a factor. On the other side, a woman holds a baby and walks in front of a house.
An animation of a man walking in high viz and a hard hat, with money in his hand, in front of a factory
An animation of a woman, holding a child, walking in front of a house.
An animation of, on one side, a man in high viz holding money walking in front of a factor. On the other side, a woman holds a baby and walks in front of a house.

One area of life where we often see gender differences is work.

An earlier study in two provinces in Solomon Islands, undertaken in 2020, revealed that in Guadalcanal and Central Provinces, far more men than women had paying jobs, with 52% of men and 32% of women having worked for pay in the previous seven days.

However, women spent much more time on unpaid work and care than men, regardless of their paid work status - around 70% more.

By collecting data this way, societal-level gendered norms regarding the division of labour within the household are now visible in data.

Furthermore, women are not a singular group and gender is not the only characteristic that can influence how a person experiences poverty.

Different women have different experiences, and it is critical when measuring poverty to understand how intersecting and compounding factors shape lived experiences.

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An animation of a woman walking through a street with houses in the background.
An animation of a woman walking through a dark street. There are words like 'anxiety and threat' that appear around her, as well as dark figures and illuminated eyes.
An animation of a woman walking through a dark street. There are words like 'anxiety and threat' that appear around her, as well as dark figures and illuminated eyes.
An animation of a woman walking through a dark street. There are words like 'anxiety and threat' that appear around her, as well as dark figures and illuminated eyes.

In Tonga in 2022, we found experiences of safety were different not only by gender but also age.

Women experienced more unwanted behaviours in public and reported feeling unsafe after dark more often than men.

This was true for younger women more than older women.

26% of women aged 18-29 experienced unwanted behaviours in public at least sometimes, compared to 14% of ages 30-59 and 6% of ages 60+.
An animation of four men talking in front of a house in an urban setting
An animation of four men talking in front of a house in an urban setting
An animation of two women and two men talking in front of a house, in a rural setting
An animation of two women and two men talking in front of a house, in a rural setting

Experiences of poverty can vary not just by who you are, but also by where you live.

In Tonga in our 2022 study, we found that men in the capital, Tongatapu, had a much higher degree of 'Voice' - the likelihood of raising concerns with local leaders, the degree of personal control over daily life, and the extent of involvement in household decision-making, than women.

This difference was not seen outside of Tongatapu, where men and women had similar levels of 'Voice'.

Women in rural areas, and men in any location, reported being almost twice as likely to go to leaders with a problem as women in urban locations.

If poverty solutions are designed using data that does not capture the lives of some of the people most impacted, then these ‘solutions’ will fall short of addressing the problem.

We need quality data that makes visible the lives and experiences of women in their diversity, in key areas of life, if we are to accelerate progress and overcome the barriers and discrimination that limit the rights and contributions of millions of women around the world.

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If women are not visible, counted and included in data,
If women are not visible, counted and included in data, they are not visible, counted and included in society.

Count. Her. In.

Invest in Women. Accelerate Progress.

For too long the lives of too many women have been invisible in global poverty data. Data must reflect the diversity of women’s lives, including the areas that have been historically undervalued.

This is the power of inclusive poverty measurement approaches like Equality Insights, which are critical to achieving gender equality, reducing poverty, and realising the global promise to leave no one behind.

Stay up-to-date with our work by following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or subscribing to the newsletter.

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Read Our Research:

Equality Insights Rapid Report: Tonga Survey 2022

Equality Insights Rapid Report: Tonga Survey 2022

Equality Insights Rapid Report: Solomon Islands Survey 2022

Equality Insights Rapid Report: Solomon Islands Survey 2022

Snapshot Report - Gender Insights in the Solomon Islands: Findings from a two-province study using the Individual Deprivation Measure

Snapshot report: Gender insights in the Solomon Islands 2020

Exploring Multidimensional poverty in Fiji: findings from a study using the Individual Deprivation Measure

Fiji Report: Exploring Multidimensional Poverty in Fiji 2017

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Equality Insights logo - implemented by IWDA

Equality Insights is the flagship program of the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) to redefine how poverty is understood and measured and to inspire inclusive, social change for gender equality.

Stay up-to-date with our work by following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, or subscribing to the newsletter.

Equality Insights Website

Authored by Eva Touzeau and Megan Carroll.

Graphics and animations by Soma Studios.

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