First Time Users

Welcome to the WomanStats Database, the world's most comprehensive compilation of information on the status of women. You may wish to start by reading an overview of the project.

To view the database, you first need to CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT.

The best way to acquaint yourself with the database and how to use it is to watch our Video Tutorials for beginners. The first video tutorial explains how to create a free account. The second teaches how to use the codebook and retrieve data from the View screen. The third covers reports, downloads, and maps. The fourth introduces you to other aspects of our web presence, such as our blog and social media.

The WomanStats Project collects data on all countries with a population greater than 200,000--a total of 175 countries. We code over 350 variables on data that includes laws, statistics, and practices within countries; the information available ranges from data on domestic violence to female landownership to political participation. Further, all of our data is available to the public for free, and the information on the site is continually updated as newer information becomes available.

The database is searchable by country or by variable (i.e., issue area). The codebook (our list of variables) will be your useful guide to the data available and how it is grouped within the database. Please take a moment to read our disclaimer page, which has important information for our users.

You can use the WomanStats database for anything from general research to in-depth quantitative and qualitative analysis. All data files you create from the database according to your specifications are downloadable in .xls format, which can be opened using software such as Excel. The Project focuses primarily on data from governments (especially that data submitted to UN human rights bodies), non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, and country or topic experts. The data collected includes laws, statistics, statements of general fact made by experts and authorities, anecdotes, interpretations, and other information. A citation style sheet is included for your use. Please credit your use of our database, and please use the data for non-proprietary, non-profit use only.

While the information in the WomanStats database is extensive, not every data point is complete. Sometimes there are coding gaps in the database where information isn't available to us or where the information we have is incomplete. Occasionally, variables we seek are not collected and reported by governments or international organizations. At times, information from different sources may be contradictory. If you have access to information relevant to the database, please take time to share that information with others through our data entry page. If you are interested in having data on additional variables compiled, or if you are interested in having us prepare special reports, this can be done for a fee: please contact us at info@womanstats.org