Sex-disaggregated citizenship statistics: data gaps and why these matter

• Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies
• GGP: Global Governance Programme

This seminar will examine the importance of sex-disaggregated citizenship statistics for advancing these international objectives and highlights persistent data gaps that undermine progress toward the SDGs.

Despite international legal commitments guaranteeing women equal rights with men in the acquisition and transmission of citizenship, an estimated 26 percent of the world’s population lives under sex-discriminatory citizenship laws. The UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 aim to end gender discrimination and ensure that every person has a legal identity.

Sex discrimination in citizenship law exposes children to the risk of statelessness and places mothers in situations where they may not share the same legal identity as their children. This can limit their ability to act as legal guardians, increase the risk of custody disputes, or compel women to remain in abusive relationships for fear of separation. Discrimination in access to citizenship may also push women into dependent migration statuses, with similarly harmful consequences.

In this seminar, we will identify deficiencies in available data on citizenship acquisition at birth and through naturalisation, and discuss how the absence of such statistics obscures patterns of inequality and constrains the development of effective, evidence-informed policy responses.

At the EUI and the Robert Schuman Centre, we are dedicated to removing barriers and providing equal opportunities for everyone. Please indicate in the registration form your accessibility needs, if any. Alternatively, you can contact the logistics organiser of the event.