Background

UN Women, grounded in the vision of equality enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations, works for the elimination of discrimination against women and girls; the empowerment of women; and the achievement of equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of development, human rights, humanitarian action and peace and security.

UN Women’s global gender data programme, “Making Every Woman and Girl Count” (Women Count), delivered significant results in scaling up work on gender statistics availability, accessibility, and use during Phase I of its implementation. In the ongoing implementation of Women Count Phase II, with gender data being elevated as one of the strategic outcomes of UN Women’s 2022-2025 Strategic Plan, UN Women is steadfastly supporting Member States and leading efforts on mainstreaming gender perspectives in three key interventions:

• Enabling environment for the production and use of gender statistics: Put in place supportive policy, legal and financial environment to ensure gender-responsive national adaptation and effective monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Increasing the production of gender statistics: Increase availability of quality, comparable and regular gender statistics to address national data gaps and meet policy and reporting commitments under the SDGs, Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), and Beijing Declaration
• Increasing data accessibility and use: Ensure that gender statistics are accessible to all users (including governments, civil society, academia and private sector) and can be analysed, communicated, and used to inform research, advocacy, policies and programmes, and promote accountability.

The Women Count Programme places significant emphasis on four thematic areas, including women’s economic empowerment. Thus, production and use of time use data is a priority area of work by the programme to provide insights into women’s activities and their impact on labor productivity and domestic care work. Typically collected through time use surveys (TUS), these data have been historically under-prioritized in national statistical systems. Women Count supported 12 time use data projects across 10 countries during Phase I (2016-2021), with direct influence on policy development in countries such as Colombia and Kenya. In Phase II (2022-2025), support is extending to more than 20 countries for the conduct of or data utilization from their time use surveys.

Women Count Regional Advisors and country data focal points stressed the need for identifying harmonized measures for Women Count countries to ensure compliance with TUS guidelines and standards, regardless of the data collection modality that these countries will use. Practical guidance is also needed drawing from the Women Count country experiences as well as global and regional guidelines (e.g., work of the Expert Group on Innovative and Effective Ways to Collect Time-Use Statistics (EG-TUS), UN Regional Commissions, ILO).

Thus, a Consultant is needed to develop a set of recommendations for harmonized measures and practical guidance towards increased comparability of TUS efforts within the Women Count programme.

Duties and Responsibilities

The Consultant will identify harmonized measures, using existing data from Women Count countries, to ensure compliance with TUS guidelines and standards, regardless of the data collection modality that these countries will use The final product may serve as a reference for all NSOs, extending its utility and impact beyond its initial scope.

The Consultant will also develop a practical guidance for Women Count countries on carrying out TUS initiatives towards increased comparability within the programme. The Generic Statistical Business Process Model (GSBPM) will be used as a guiding framework, contextualizing it in the design, implementation and use of TUS.

GSBPM describes and defines the set of business processes necessary for generating official statistics. It offers a standardized framework and harmonized terminology to assist statistical organizations in modernizing their statistical production processes and facilitates the sharing of methods and components. The GSBPM model spans the full process of producing official statistics, from specifying needs and design to dissemination and evaluation.

The consultancy work should take into account existing methodological guidelines and standards. To provide the practical and operational perspective, the work also involves a thorough review of TUS initiatives of the Women Count programme as well as ongoing efforts related to household surveys more broadly, such as the updating of the Handbook for Household Surveys. In line with the aims of the latter, this consultancy work is expected to balance theoretical principles on TUS with practical advice, organizing examples and tools, particularly those from national experiences.

Consultations with various stakeholders, including relevant UN Women Sections at HQ, Regional or Country Offices, external data experts, and select countries’ national statistical offices (NSOs) will be made by the Consultant. The Consultant will be reporting to the Inter-Regional Advisor on Gender Statistics.

Deliverables

1. Identify harmonized measures for time-use statistics

• Review latest TUS guidelines, standards and classifications, including the UN minimum harmonized instrument and the ILO own-use provision of services measurement guide
• Review survey questions and how indicators have been produced in various time-use surveys, particularly Women Count-supported surveys
• Propose guidance to produce harmonized measures for time-use statistics, regardless of the data collection modality, including integration into existing household surveys

2. Develop a practical guidance on TUS towards increased comparability

• Review various TUS initiatives (including Women Count countries), using the GSBPM as a guiding framework
• Synthesize good practices as well as lessons learned in past Women Count TUS initiatives
• Develop a reference analytical and tabulation plan for a core/minimum set of data items, that adhere to the Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle, ensuring inclusivity and representation of marginalized women groups
• Develop key messages template to effectively communicate findings, linking time use data to thematic policy development concerns
• Prepare practical guidance on TUS towards increased comparability of future Women Count TUS initiatives

Deliverable	Due Date
1. Proposed detailed workplan and timelines	12 April 2024
2. Annotated outline of the practical guidance (item no. 4 below)	26 April 2024
3. Harmonized measures for time-use statistics
First draft	7 June 2024
Final aproved*	5 July 2024
4. Practical guidance on TUS towards increased comparability
First draft	7 August 2024
Final approved*	7 October 2024

Note: *Revisions/Iterations are expected between the first draft and final document, considering results of internal or external consultations.

Consultant’s Workplace and Official Travel

This is a home-based consultancy.

Competencies

Core Values:

• Respect for Diversity
• Integrity
• Professionalism

Core Competencies:

• Awareness and Sensitivity regarding Gender Issues
• Creative Problem Solving
• Effective Communication
• Inclusive Collaboration
• Stakeholder Engagement

Please visit this link for more information on UN Women’s Core Values and Competencies:

https://www.unwomen.org/en/about-us/employment/application-process#_Values

FUNCTIONAL COMPETENCIES:

• Strong knowledge of gender statistics, particularly time use surveys and data
• Strong analytical skills, including linking analytical results with use
• Ability to identify and analyze trends and opportunities for the effective and efficient conduct of TUS, regardless of survey modality.

Required Skills and Experience

Education and Certification:

• Master’s degree or equivalent in demography, statistics, economics or another related field
• A first-level university degree in combination with two additional years of qualifying experience may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Experience:

• At least 7 years of experience in quantitative household surveys design and implementation at national and/or regional level
• At least two Time Use Surveys designed and (co)-led, preferably in developing countries
• Proven track record of producing high-quality research publications, preferably in time use surveys and statistics
• Technical experience with time-use surveys
• Excellent writing and analytical skills
• Experience working with Member States as well as the UN System is an asset

Languages:

• Fluency in English is required.
• Knowledge of French or Spanish is an asset.

How to Apply:

• Personal CV or P11 (P11 can be downloaded from): https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/About%20Us/Employment/UN-Women-P11-Personal-History-Form.doc )
• A cover letter (maximum length: 1 page)