UK Policy Briefing
Gender, Data and the Labour Market: Why Data Collection is not Gender Neutral
This briefing outlines the urgent need for gender-sensitive economic data to inform effective policymaking
Executive summary
Following the Treasury Select Committee’s recent evidence session with the ONS, this briefing outlines the urgent need for gender-sensitive economic data to inform effective policymaking.
Key concerns:
- Declining response rates in the Labour Force Survey (LFS) and other key datasets limit the accuracy of labour market insights.
- A shift towards administrative data risks systematically underestimating women’s economic contributions, particularly unpaid care work.
- Budget constraints could lead to a reduction in survey-based data collection, undermining the ability to measure gendered economic inequalities.
Recommendations:
- Ensure continued funding for sex-disaggregated and gender-sensitive labour market surveys rather than relying solely on administrative data.
- Improve integration of survey and administrative data while recognising the limitations of each method.
- Re-establish a Gender Statistics User Group to ensure economic data accurately reflects gender disparities.