Data collection : what about women in sustainable development ?

Last week, I received, on my LinkedIn profile, the visit of a woman. She appeared to be interested by the role of european women in sustainable development.

At first sight, this sounds rather theorical. But curiosity is the key to online data collection. And I soon realised that the topic was of interest, even for such NGOs as UN Women.

It therefore appears that, when it comes to sustainable development, women are influence agents to be dealt with. Their issuing of a situational analysis report of land rights and entitlement patterns in the district of Punjab Pakistan with a special focus on gender in 2013 clearly shows that women could be actors of risk management, even in geographical areas where women’s rights are not as developped as the are in US or Europe.

The reason is fairly simple : women are one of sustainable development’s targets. “On balance, women are still the shock absorbers for structural change,” noted Susan Davis, WEDO Executive Director. And such question as access to education or professional discrimination might be valid criteria of how the economic and socials aspect of sustainable development is progressing in our societies. Therefore, at first sight, they are key points to watch.

Of course, this topic is about breaking rocks, not coming up with sand. And, as such, it does not pretend to uncover all the aspects of the question. However, it is a  good start for a NGO to come up with an online data collection & strategic decision system.