obtaining reliable gender statistics that adequately reflect differences and inequalities in the situation of women and men in all areas of life requires a strategy of gender mainstreaming in all stages of data production this means that gender is brought into the mainstream of all statistical activities rather than dealt with as an addon united nations mainstreaming a gender perspective in statistics means that gender issues and genderbased biases are systematically taken into account in the production of all official statistics and at all stages of data production hedman perucci and sundstrom united nations a b