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Global Data Sources In order to investigate how social and demographic conditions are likely to affect families, we examined the following factors of aggregate-level data on nations from around the globe and including up to four decades of statistics: labor force participation rate among women and men; urban population as a percent of total population; primary school enrollment rate and the gender gap in primary school enrollment; secondary school enrollment rate and gender gap in secondary school enrollment, population aged 0-14 as a percent of total population; population aged 65 and above as a percent of total population; age dependency ratio (dependents to working-age population); fertility rate; life expectancy at birth and gender gap in life expectancy at birth; morality rates and gender gap in mortality rate; morality rates for children under 5; and infant mortality rate. In selecting data sources for our research, we sought sources that
contained accurate, relevant measures that were comparable across countries
and over time. We began by reviewing the conceptual relevance of each
database’s available measures to work and family issues. We then
selected databases that contained detailed and comprehensive measures of (1)
labor force participation rates across time and for different age groups,
genders, locations, and sectors, (2) changes in family size and composition,
and (3) supports available from family, government, and community. We selected databases with information available for a sufficiently large number of nations - over fifty for key measures - so that substantive cross-country comparisons could be made. To ensure validity among longitudinal analyses, we used only those databases that contained a substantial number of data points over the past twenty years and lacked large gaps in time. The data sources included the following: World Development Indicators from the World Bank Developed and maintained by the World Bank, the World Development Indicators (WDI) is a global database of approximately eight hundred development indicators. These include measures of urbanization, health, employment and labor, economic growth, use of resources, population, and integration in the global economy. The indicators are organized into six sections: World View, People, Environment, Economy, States and Markets, and Global Links. Data are compiled annually, and the database contains more than 550 time-series indicators. The most recent WDI database contains data from 1960 to the present for over 150 nations. The World Bank did not serve as the primary data collector for WDI but instead combined data from national statistical agencies, central banks and customs services. Click here for more information on the World Development Indicators.. International Labour Organization’s Key Indicators of the Labor Market The Key Indicators of the Labor Market (KILM) database was developed and disseminated in 1999 at the request of the Employment Policies Committee of the International Labour Conference. The goal of the KILM database is to increase the availability of up-to-date national labor market data, to enhance the ability of both governments and other social organizations (labor unions, employer organizations, and so on) to monitor trends with up-to-date labor market indicators, and to facilitate comparative analyses of indicators across countries. The ILO selected a series of indicators based on their conceptual relevance, data availability, and comparability across countries, areas, territories, and regions. The eighteen indicators chosen were: labor force participation rate, employment-to-population ratio, status in employment, employment by sector, part-time workers, hours of work, urban informal sector employment, long-term unemployment, unemployment by educational attainment, time-related underemployment, inactivity rate, educational attainment and illiteracy, real manufacturing wage indices, hourly compensation costs, labor productivity, unit labor costs, poverty, and income distribution. There are over 250 countries, territories and economic areas included in this database; however, the number of countries varies for each given indicator. Data have been collected in 1980, 1990, and yearly since then. Data are based on information collected from international data repositories such as the ILO, the United Nations (UN) Statistics Division, and the World Bank, as well as national and regional sources and statistical agencies. Click here for more information on the Key Indicators of the Labor Market.. The Women's Indicators and Statistics Database Compiled by the UN, the Women's Indicators and Statistics (WISTAT) database contains statistics and indicators regarding gender, population, and social development for over 190 countries. The database covers nine topic areas: population composition and distribution; learning and education; economic activity; households, marital status and fertility; health and health services; reproductive health and reproductive rights; public affairs and political participation; violence, and national product and expenditure. Multiple measures are contained within each topic area, and each topic area has at least one year of data. However, data are, in general, available for 1970, 1980, 1990, and “the latest available year.” Information in the database comes from a number of international statistical agencies and offices affiliated with the UN (specifically, the statistical services of the UN regional commissions), as well as specialized organizations such as the ILO; the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); the World Health Organization (WHO); and the International Parliamentary Union, and other regional and national statistical reports. Click here for more information about the Women's Indicators and Statistics database.
The UNESCO International Statistical (UIS) Database and Yearbook, maintained by the UNESCO National Commissions, contains data from over 190 nations. The following topics are covered in the database: education, science and technology, and culture and communication. The measures within the education area that we paid special attention to were pre-primary and primary education enrollment and achievement, and educational finance. The database information is based on questionnaire responses provided to the UNESCO National Commissions by member states’ national authorities and experts from ministries of education, finance, and national libraries. Data from surveys developed in collaboration with other international organizations were also gathered. Prior to entry into the UIS database, the data were analyzed by UNESCO experts and checked against official sources. Click here for more information about the International Statistical Yearbook. UNAIDS Surveillance The WHO and Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Working Group on Global HIV/AIDS and STD Surveillance gathers data for and produces 168 country-specific epidemiological fact sheets each year and maintains the Global HIV/AIDS Online Database. The UNAIDS database includes such measures as number of adults with HIV, the HIV prevalence rate in the adult population, the number of HIV orphans, and number of deaths due to AIDS. Two goals guide this global surveillance effort: first, to enable countries to improve the amount and quality of data available to track the spread of their own epidemic; and second, to make possible a mapping of the global HIV/AIDS situation which will ultimately facilitate more informed decision making and planning for effective AIDS prevention and care locally, nationally, and internationally. In collaboration with governments, epidemiologists, national AIDS programs, and international institutions and experts, the UNAIDS Working Group implemented a country-by-country reporting system for tracking HIV/AIDS. Click here for more information on the epidemiological fact sheets. WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS) Data Compiled by the WHO, the Basic Health Indicators (BHI) database is a component of the WHO Statistical Information System (WHOSIS). Data comes from surveys of member states about the health outcomes for their respective countries and from the WHO’s annual World Health Reports. The online BHI database includes time series data from 1980 to the present over 190 nations on a wide range of population health status indicators including: healthy life expectancy, disability adjusted life years, doctors per capita, expenditures on health services, and fertility rates. WHOSIS also compiles data to evaluate the Global Strategy for Health for All by the Year 2000. These data are collected from national governments using questionnaires completed by national public health officials. In addition, we analyzed the WHO Mortality Database, which contains country-level mortality statistics by age group, sex, year, and cause of death for over 190 nations. Cause of death information is compiled on the basis of reports provided at registration of death. The construction of valid and accurate mortality data requires that virtually all deaths be registered and that the cause of death be indicated on the death report by a qualified person using the standardized International Classification of Diseases. While approximately seventy countries collect and provide such data to WHO, all reported data are reviewed and processed, and only validated data of good quality are included in the WHO Mortality Database. Click here for more information on WHOSIS. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent World Disaster Report The 2000 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies World Disasters Report contains natural disaster data from over 12,000 mass disasters in over 190 nations from 1900 to the present. This report provides comprehensive information on natural disasters that have occurred in the last decade. Data include the number of people killed and affected by natural disasters as well as estimated damages caused by these natural disasters. The World Disasters Report comprises data gathered primarily from the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT), which is maintained at the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED). EM-DAT is sponsored by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, WHO, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), and the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO). The database's main objective is to provide accurate and comprehensive data on natural disasters to facilitate more rational decision making at national and international levels regarding disaster preparedness, determination of vulnerable sites, and the setting of priorities. EM-DAT contains data from 1900 to the present on more than twelve thousand mass disasters that have occurred globally. Among others, the disaster types include earthquakes, floods, avalanches and landslides, droughts, and epidemics, as well as non-natural disasters such as industrial accidents. In order to be included in the database, an event must meet at least one of the following criteria: 10 people are reported killed, 100 people are reported affected; an appeal for international assistance is issued, or a state of emergency is declared. Data on the occurrence and consequences of the disasters is gathered from aid agencies, the UN, nongovernmental aid organizations, insurance companies, and research institutes, and other sources. Data from EM-DAT are updated daily and checked at three-month intervals. Revisions to the database are made at the end of each calendar year. Click here for more information. |
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This page is maintained by The Project on Global Working Families. Copyright 2002 by the
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