Abstract

While there have been increased investments in the production of gender data in low- and middle-income countries, these efforts only translate into impact if this data is used and used effectively. However, little is known about whether and under what conditions gender data informs policy-making in low- and middle-income settings. To address this gap, the Partnership in Statistics for Development in the 21st Century (PARIS21) has collaborated with national statistical offices to examine barriers and enablers of use of gender data in national policy-making in four countries - Rwanda, Kenya, the Maldives, and Dominican Republic. The studies have drawn on group discussions, surveys and interviews with representatives of government, civil society, media and development partners in each country, process-tracing the role of gender data in the development of national policies across diverse sectors. Taken together, the results point to several areas for progress in common ‘models’ of data use in policy-making: The need to embed analysis of data use in a clear understanding of the wider political economy shaping evidence production and use, to recognize the role of social norms, local discourse and other contextual factors that limit the value of universal models, and to make visible the highly consequential role of international actors on the path from evidence to impact. Interventions designed to promote uptake of gender data in policy-making can only be effective if they consider and effectively navigate this wider political economy of data. The findings will be of interest to scholars and practitioners working on official statistics, evidence-informed policy-making and gender equality.