RAPID GENDERASSESSMENT
ON THE IMPACT
VIOLENCE AGAINSTWOMENTECHNICAL REPORT - PARAGUAY SURVEY FIELDWORKAUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2021

1 Introduction
Prompted by strong concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the risk of different forms ofviolence against women and girls, particularly intimate partner/domestic violence, and realizing the need tocollect reliable data that are in line with methodological, safety and ethical standards, UN Womencommissioned Ipsos to conduct a study on the impact of COVID-19 on women’s well-being and safety in 13
countries across several regions all over the world. The participating countries were Albania, Bangladesh,
Cameroon, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Morocco, Nigeria, Paraguay, Thailand andUkraine.
The core objectives of the study were to:• collect data on the impacts of COVID-19 on violence against women in low- and middle-income
countries.
• strengthen measurement and methodologies for violence against women data collection and use.
• strengthen available knowledge on all forms of violence against women and improve capacities tocollect, analyse and use data on violence against women in accordance with globally agreed
methodological, safety and ethical standards.
• inform where the policy and programmatic response of UN Women should focus and support
UN system-wide efforts to scale up actions to address violence against women in the context of
COVID-19.
The following groups contributed to the project’s management and execution:
1. the UN Women project team, comprising statisticians, researchers and policy specialists;
2. the Technical Advisory Group – an external reference group established by UN Women to provide
independent technical advice and expertise to the project;
3. the Ipsos project team involved in the set-up and delivery of the study; and4. national fieldwork partners.

1

Methodology of the study

Target group

Women aged 18 +TimingTwo-phased approach: Phase I (four countries) took place May–June 2021; Phase II (ninecountries) took place August–September 2021

Data collection method

Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI)

Random probability sampling with monitoring of quota on age and region
Sampling approach

Random-digit dialling to mobile sample frames
Sample Size

1,200 women aged 18+ per country
Target duration of max. 20 minutes
No open-ended answers
Informed consent asked to each participant at the beginning of the interview

Questionnaire lengthand type

Awareness of safety, privacy and confidentiality of women respondents
Guided by the “do no harm” principle applicable to the women respondents andthe interviewers/research teamThe questionnaire was adapted in each country by localizing characters’ names
and cultural references (i.e., popular food, music, sports).

ScriptingCentral scripting in software applications - iField and Dimensions

Language

At least one main language per country

The country chapters provide information on the set-up of the data collection process (obtaining of ethicalclearance, sampling and translation), description of the fieldwork, main characteristics of the achieved
sample by several indicators (age group, region, area type, educational attainment), technical information(interview duration, contact outcomes, screen-outs, temporary interview suspension at safety questions,survey dropouts, use of safety word, and item non-response), key field observations and relevant lessons
and recommendations.

22 Country information
2.1

Paraguay

2.1.1 Obtaining ethical clearance
UN Women sought general support or tacit approval for the study from the National Statistics Institute ofParaguay (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE)). A ‘no objection’ was granted on 16 July 2021 in support ofthe project.

2.1.2 Sampling plan
A single-frame cell-phone random-digit dialling (RDD) survey design was used to reach a nationally
representative sample of women aged 18+. The sample mirrored the telephone database distribution(frame size) by provider.1 The gross (unscreened) sample included numbers for each of the providers in the
country to the same proportions as in the frame size. In 2019, 110% of the population had a mobile
subscription;2 in other words, many people in the country have more than one mobile phone number
registered in their name.
Of the 11,390,000 numbers available in the sample frame, 7,761,8483 (68%) were expected to be working
numbers (based on cell subscriptions in 2019). The sample was pulsed, meaning that a signal was sent to
the randomly generated phone numbers to verify if the numbers existed (i.e. if connection could beachieved). The upfront pulsing of the gross sample closely reflected the market shares of the different
operators (in terms of subscriptions). The sample was also screened against business registers so as to
exclude numbers that were used by companies. Further details on the sampling frame are provided in
section 2.4.1 of the main technical report.
To ensure a representative sample, quotas were set on age (18–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60+) and region(first-level administrative division), using the following statistical sources:• Age: INE. Población nacional estimada y proyectada por sexo y edad, 2000-2025.4• Region: INE. Población total, estimada y proyectada, según departamento, sexo y edad, 2000-2025.5

2.1.3 Translation
The questionnaire was translated into Spanish. The translation procedure is explained in more detail in
section 2.5.3 of the main technical report.
1 Claro 2,060,000 ; Personal 3,540,000 ; Tigo 3,740,000 ; VOX 2,050,000.
2 Calculations made using 2019 World Bank data.
3 World Bank Data. 2019. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS?end=2019&locations=PY&start=2019
4 https://www.ine.gov.py/default.php?publicacion=2
5 Ibid.

3

No issues related to equivalence (conceptual equivalence, semantic equivalence, etc.) were encounteredduring translation.
The questionnaire required localization for several items in the text of the questions and answers,
including widely known, yet neutral in meaning, male and female names, which were used in the vignettes
in the Safety Section of the survey. In Paraguay, the male name used was Ramón and the female, María.
During the pilot, it was established that some respondents in Paraguay may have preferred to provide theiranswers in Guarani, which is the second official language in the country. Since everyone in the country
speaks Spanish and only a part of the population feels more comfortable speaking in Guarani, theinterviewers were instructed to read the questions in Spanish and allow respondents to answer in Guarani
if they wished. A question was added at the end of the questionnaire for interviewers to indicate whether
the full survey was done in Spanish or answers were given in Guarani. The results show that 5% of
respondents did the survey in both Spanish and Guarani, another 4% in Guarani only, and the remaining
91% in Spanish.

2.1.4 Fieldwork period
Fieldwork took place between 17 August and 29 September 2021. The data collection period took 17 days
longer than originally planned as the team in Paraguay experienced technical challenges at the beginningand end of the fieldwork and in meeting some of the age group quotas in the survey. Initially, the field teamin Paraguay was using iField as its primary data-collection platform. However, technical issues with the setup of the platform caused delays of five and more minutes at the start of interviews, thus leading to themajority of respondents dropping out and/or making appointments to complete the survey at a later date.
Since this issue was persistently hampering the progress of the fieldwork preparations were made to switch
the platform used in Paraguay from iField to Dimensions. After the transition to the new platform, the teammanaged to make better progress. However, they still experienced difficulties in reaching the target numberof completes, especially in the older age groups. Unlike some of the other countries in Phase II, the Paraguay
team had no pre-existing contact database with which they could supplement the RDD sample in order totarget harder to reach women – specifically women aged 60+ who proved especially difficult to reach. Thus,
they had to persevere with the available RDD sample, until they were able to achieve satisfactory numbersof women in each target group. During the last week of the fieldwork, their progress was additionallyimpacted by a technical issue affecting multiple Ipsos CATI centres world-wide. As a recovery plan, the teamwas expanded to include interviewers from four additional CATI centres (and altogether close to 50
interviewers), which ultimately helped the field team in Paraguay to reach the target number of interviews.

2.1.5 Achieved sample
In total, 1,210 valid interviews were completed in Paraguay. The distribution of the sample across most of theage groups was in line with the targets. In the 60+ age group, the number of completed interviews was
below the set target by 5 percentage points. To account for this deviance from the quotas, the achieved
sample was weighted per country on the below age group categories according to the specified quota(target %).

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Table 1: Achieved sample, by age group (Paraguay)

Age group

TargetTarget%Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted%6

Difference
unweighted %vs. target %7

Difference
weighted % vs.
target %8

18 – 29

379

32%

405

33%

31%

2%

0%

30 – 39

276

23%

291

24%

23%

1%

0%

40 – 49

201

17%

212

18%

17%

1%

0%

50 – 59

153

13%

167

14%

13%

1%

0%

60+

191

16%

135

11%

16%

-5%

0%

The targets in all regions but one were not fully met. The shortfalls in these regions ranged from only 1 pp in
the Chaco region to 9 pp in the Este region. To account for this deviance from the quotas, the achieved sample
was weighted per country on the below regions according to the specified quota (target %). During thefieldwork priority was given to meeting the age quotas before meeting the regional ones, so in someinstances as evident in the table, some shortfalls may be seen in the regional distribution of the achieved
unweighted sample
Table 2: Achieved sample, by region (Paraguay)

Completed(unweighted)

Completed %(unweighted)

Weighted%

Difference
unweighted% vs. target%

Difference
weighted% vs.
target %RegionTargetTarget
%

Este

253

21%

144

12%

21%

-9%

0%

Centro

513

43%

416

34%

42%

-8%

0%

Sur

175

15%

97

8%

14%

-7%

0%

Norte

128

11%

94

8%

11%

-3%

0%

Chaco

32

3%

21

2%

3%

-1%

0%

Capital

98

8%

424

35%

8%

27%

0%

The distribution across rural (17%) and urban (83%) areas (as self-reported by respondents) was lower thanWorld Bank data estimating a rural population of 38%9 in Paraguay. It is important to note the use of a mobile
RDD sample here however, which has an effect on the ability to reach respondents in areas where mobile
phone ownership is not widely spread. Additional contributing factors can be lower mobile ownershipamong women, especially those in rural areas.

6 Weighting procedures are discussed in more detail in section 4.4.2 of the main technical report.
7 The figures in this column reflect the actual difference of the unweighted and target percentages. Any variations are caused by the rounding up of
the percentages in the table.
8 The figures in this column reflect the actual difference of the unweighted and target percentages. Any variations are caused by the rounding up of
the percentages in the table.
9 World Bank Data. 2020. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?end=2020&locations=CI&start=2020&year_high_desc=true

5

Table 3: Achieved sample, by area type (Paraguay)
Area

Completed %(unweighted)

Completed (unweighted)

Weighted %

Urban

1,005

83.1%

76.8%

Rural

205

16.9%

23.2%

A little over 2 in 10 respondents had completed primary school or had no formal education, while 4 in 10 had
completed secondary school or attended technical or vocational training. More than 3 in 10 of the
respondents had attended a tertiary education programme.
Table 4: Achieved sample, by educational attainment (Paraguay)
Education level

Completed %(unweighted)

Completed (unweighted)

Weighted %No formal education

19

1.6%

1.7%

Completed primary school

249

20.6%

22.1%

Completed secondary
school

332

27.4%

25.7%

Technical & vocational
training

166

13.7%

13.3%

Completed
university/college

384

31.7%

32.3%

Completed post-graduate

55

4.5%

4.2%

Don’t know

3

0.2%

0.4%

Refused

2

0.2%

0.2%

2.1.6 Quality control and data processing
Eighteen interviews were removed from the sample in Paraguay because they did not meet the quality
criteria in terms of length, straight-lining and/or item non-response. (Section 4.4 of the main technical reportprovides a detailed description of the implemented quality control procedures and how data were
processed).

2.1.7 Technical information
The interview duration was slightly higher than the envisaged length of 20 minutes, at 23.21 minutes on
average (compared with a mean of 23 minutes across the nine countries in Phase II).

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Table 5: Interview duration (Paraguay)
MeanMedianStandard deviation

23.21

22.12

6.95

The response rate in Paraguay was 1.52%, calculated by using the first American Association for Public
Opinion Research (AAPOR) definition of response rate – that is, the number of complete interviews divided
by the number of interviews (complete plus partial) plus the number of non-interviews (refusal and breakoff plus non-contacts plus others) plus all cases of unknown eligibility (unknown if housing unit, plus
unknown, other).10
The table below shows the incidence of each outcome code.
Table 6: Contact outcomes (Paraguay)
Contact outcomesCount% of all outcomes

Fixed appointment

815

1%

Soft appointment

8733

11%

Incomplete interview with call-back to resume later860%

Telephone answering device / voicemail / message service

29606

37%

Busy / engaged

7911

10%

No answer

28430

35%

Complete

1210

2%

Screen-out

20%Incomplete interview with no call-back (terminated)

243

0%

Immediate refusal (before eligibility of respondent has been
confirmed)

989

1%

Refusal by eligible respondent (after eligibility of respondent has been
confirmed, but before the actual interview started)

1628

2%

Respondent never available for appointment

116

0%

Deceased respondent00%

Respondent physically or mentally unable / incompetent

00%Respondent or household language problem

20%Call blocking / barring / do not call list

350%

Fax / data line / modem / pager

00%

Non-working / disconnected / dead / bad number

312

0%

10 AAPOR. 2015. Standard Definitions. https://www.aapor.org/AAPOR_Main/media/MainSiteFiles/Standard-Definitions2015_8thEd.pdf

7Non-residential number (business, government office, otherorganization)

4

0%

Technical issue / CATI system error

00%

The table below provides an overview of specific call outcomes (completed interview, partial interview, andrefusals) by the time of the day (morning, afternoon, evening) and the day of the week. The figures should
be interpreted with caution as they do not reflect the percentage out of all contact attempts performed
during this time/on that day, but the split of these specific outcomes across the time of the day/day of theweek. Feedback from the field team on the best time and the best day to obtain an interview is provided in
section 2.1.8.
Table 7: Call outcome, by time of the day and day of the week (Paraguay)

SundayMondayTuesday

WednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdayCompleted interviews

Partial interviews

Refusals

Count

%

Count

%

Count

%

Morning

10

1%

2

1%

1

1%

Afternoon

13

1%

7

2%

3

4%

Evening

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

Morning

48

4%

15

4%

3

4%

Afternoon

77

6%

26

8%

6

7%

Evening

14

1%

9

3%

3

4%

Morning

55

4%

11

3%

4

5%

Afternoon

101

8%

41

12%

6

7%

Evening

30

2%

5

1%

3

4%

Morning

29

2%

11

3%

2

2%

Afternoon

115

9%

31

9%

7

9%

Evening

30

2%

4

1%

6

7%

Morning

69

6%

13

4%

5

6%

Afternoon

204

17%

53

16%

9

11%

Evening

39

3%

4

1%

3

4%

Morning

121

10%

27

8%

4

5%

Afternoon

164

13%

47

14%

11

13%

Evening

23

2%

12

4%

3

4%

Morning

67

5%

11

3%

1

1%

Afternoon

15

1%

10

3%

2

2%

Evening

0

0%

0

0%

0

0%

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Twenty-three per cent of the sample called were men and so screened out at the very beginning of thesurvey. This is in line with the majority of the Phase I countries (except Ukraine) but lower than most of thePhase II countries that participated in the study. Two per cent of the respondents were screened out
because they were younger than 18 years, 2% because they did not want to participate, 1% because they did
not understand fully the purpose of the survey, and only two respondents because they said they did notunderstand the confidentiality measures.
Table 8: Screen-outs (Paraguay)
Question

AnswerCount% of total answered

S3

Sex: Male

1,203

22.9%

S4_1+S4_2

Age: Below 18 years

56

2.2%

S1

Willing to participate: No

82

3.3%

S6

Understand purpose: No

13

0.7%

S7

Understand confidentiality: No

2

0.1%

The interview was temporarily discontinued in 126 cases because the respondent answered “no” to one of
the four ‘safety’ questions (listed in Table 1.9 below). The number of temporary interview suspensions in
Paraguay is the highest among all Phase I and Phase II countries in the study.
Table 9: Temporary interview suspension due to responses at safety questions (Paraguay)
Question

AnswerCount% of total
answeredS2

Can you let me know if the speaker phone is off? No

37

1.7%

S5

Can you confirm if now is a good time? No

46

2.4%

B01

Can you confirm that there is no one around you over the age of twothat can overhear our conversation? No

25

1.6%

C18

Alternatively, if someone over two is listening to our call or is nearby that
can hear, please say no. No

18

1.4%

Three hundred and forty-one respondents dropped out of the survey. The table below shows the questions
at which the dropouts occurred. The largest numbers of dropouts were at S11- question on urbanicity (33),
B02- question on the thoughts and feelings of respondents since the onset of COVID-19 (28), and A01question on marital status (24).
Table 10: Survey dropouts, by question (Paraguay)
Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

S11

Great. If you don’t have any further questions we can proceed. Now
we just need a bit more information about you. Would you consider
the area you live in to be urban or rural?

33

9.7%

A01

What is your marital status?

24

7.0%

9

% of total
dropouts

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

A07

How many of the people living in your household are aged 0-17?

18

5.3%

A08

How many of the people living in your household are men aged 18
or over?

7

2.1%

A06

How many people, including yourself, live in your household?

15

4.4%

A02

What is the highest level of education that you completed?

9

2.6%

A03

Which of the following best describes what you mainly do each
day…?

12

3.5%

A04

In addition to this, do you do any activity that generates an income,even if only for a few hours a week?

7

2.1%

A04_1

Would you say that the money that you earn is…

1

0.3%

A05

Do you have difficulty doing any of the following – walking, seeing(even when wearing glasses), hearing (even with hearing
assistance), remembering or concentrating, self-caring orcommunicating?

7

2.1%

A11

Has your household’s income changed at all since the onset of the
COVID-19 pandemic?

5

1.5%

A12

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack ofmoney or other resources, you or others in your household…

14

4.1%

B01

Thank you for your responses so far. I am now going to ask you
some questions related to your health. Before we begin this section,
can you confirm that there is no one around you over the age of twothat can overhear our conversation?

17

5.0%

B02

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts
and feelings since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often
have you been bothered by the following problems since the onsetof the COVID-19 situation? Please answer with: not at all, several
days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.

28

8.2%

B04

Overall, would you say your own mental or emotional health (e.g.,stress, anxiety, confidence, etc.) has been affected AS A RESULT OF
THE COVID-19 SITUATION?

5

1.5%

C02

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone during
the day in the area where you live?

14

4.1%

C03

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone atnight in the area where you live?

2

0.6%

10

% of total
dropouts

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

C04

How, if at all, has your feeling of safety while walking alone at nightchanged SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19?

4

1.2%

C07

To what extent do you think that physical harm, abuse, orharassment of women is a problem in the area where you live?

5

1.5%

C08

How, if at all, do you think physical harm, abuse, or harassment of
women in the area where you live have changed SINCE COVID-19?

2

0.6%

C10

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in
the area where you live?

15

4.4%

C11

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better,worse or the same for [Scripter: insert Female name] from thisstory?

3

0.9%

C12

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for thissituation?

2

0.6%

C13

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help
from?

7

2.1%

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in
the area where you live?

10

2.9%

C15

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better,worse or the same for [Scripter: insert Female name] from this story
in terms of her feelings of safety?

6

1.8%

C16

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for thissituation?

2

0.6%

C17

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help
from?

7

2.1%

C18

Just to make sure, before we continue, can you confirm that there isno one around you over the age of two that can overhear ourconversation? If you are alone, please say yes. Alternatively, if
someone over two is listening to our call or is nearby that can hear,please say no.

4

1.2%

C19

When people live together in the same household, they usuallyshare both good and bad moments. And it is normal for people wholive together to have arguments. How often in the last six months
would you say that adults in your household have argued or have
had some sort of conflict among themselves?

13

3.8%

11

% of total
dropouts

Question

Question text

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

C20

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made conflict
between adults in your household more frequent, less frequent or
about the same?

4

1.2%

C21

In the last six months, did you ever feel unsafe in your home?

3

0.9%

C22

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better,worse or the same in terms of how safe you feel in your home?

3

0.9%

C23

Why do you feel unsafe in your home?

6

1.8%

C24

How often, if at all, did you go out of your house by yourself in thelast month?

5

1.5%

C25

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has limited yourinteractions with your friends and social groups, such as seeing or
speaking to them?

2

0.6%

C28A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard astrue:
1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE
EVERYONE LIKES]
3. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner BEFORE THE
ONSET OF COVID-19
4. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].

3

0.9%

C28B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard astrue:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner AFTER THE
ONSET OF COVID-19
3. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE
EVERYONE LIKES]
4. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]

2

0.6%

2

0.6%

C29A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard astrue:
1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE
EVERYONE LIKES]
3. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
98. Don’t know
99.
Refused12% of total
dropouts

Question

C29B

C30

C31

No. ofparticipants
dropped out

Question text

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard astrue:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE
EVERYONE LIKES]
3. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]
98. Don’t know99.
Now I’mRefusedgoing to ask you about some situations that you or any% of total
dropouts

2

0.6%

6

1.8%

Are any of the following support services available for women inyour community?

5

1.5%

Total

341

100%

other women you know may have experienced. For each situation,please tell if you or any other women you know have experienced
this only before the start of COVID-19, only since the start of COVID19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not at all. Pleaselisten carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.

As previously explained and as part of the safety protocols, respondents were given a safe word, a specificpopular local food (PLF), that they could use if they were disturbed by a third party or otherwise felt unsafe
at any point during the interview. In Paraguay the food used in the questionnaire was “Sopa paraguaya”. It
was used 88 times during the course of fieldwork. The table below shows the questions at which thisoccurred.
Table 11: Use of popular local food, per question (Paraguay)
Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

S11

Great. If you don’t have any further questions we can proceed. Now we just need a
bit more information about you. Would you consider the area you live in to be urban
or rural?

8

S6

Do you understand that this information is being collected by [SURVEY FIRM NAME]
for UN Women so we can better understand the needs of women in yourcommunity and to help develop responses that improve well-being?

6

S7

Do you understand that your information will remain confidential and that you areable to go back to any of your responses and change and/or ask to delete any
information you provide?

2

S12_NEW

And do you own the phone you are speaking on?

3

A01

What is your marital status?

4

A07

How many of the people living in your household are aged 0–17?

3

A08

How many of the people living in your household are men aged 18 or over?

1

13

Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

A03

Which of the following best describes what you mainly do each day…?

4

A04_1

Would you say that the money that you earn is…

1

A05

Do you have difficulty doing any of the following – walking, seeing (even when
wearing glasses), hearing (even with hearing assistance), remembering orconcentrating, self-caring or communicating?

1

A11

Has your household’s income changed at all since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic?

2

A12

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money or otherresources, you or others in your household…

5

B02

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings since
the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been bothered by thefollowing problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Please answer with:not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly every day.

5

B04

Overall, would you say your mental or emotional health (e.g., stress, anxiety,confidence, etc.) has been affected as a result of the COVID-19 situation?

3

C02

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone during the day in thearea where you live?

8

C04

How, if at all, has your feeling of safety while walking alone at night changed SINCETHE ONSET OF COVID-19?

2

C08

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area where you
live?

2

C10

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area where you
live?

6

C11

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made conflict between adults in yourhousehold more frequent, less frequent or about the same?

2

C13

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help from?

4

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area where you
live?

3

C17

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help from?

1

C19

When people live together in the same household, they usually share both good andbad moments. And it is normal for people who live together to have arguments. How
often in the last six months would you say that adults in your household haveargued or have had some sort of conflict among themselves?

1

C21

In the last six months, did you ever feel unsafe in your home?

1

C23

Why do you feel unsafe in your home?

1

C24

How often, if at all, did you go out of your house by yourself in the last month?

1

14

Question

Question text

PLF mentioned

C28A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
3. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner BEFORE THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
4. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].

1

C28B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner AFTER THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
3. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
4. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]

2

C29A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL-KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
3. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
98. Don’t know
99. Refused

2

C30

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women you
know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any other
women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID-19, only since
the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-19, or not at all.
Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for each question I ask.

2

S12

And as a final question, I would like to know if you have another mobile phone
number besides the one I am calling you on? IF YES: How many other mobile phone
numbers do you have?

1

Total

88

In terms of item non-response (INR), this varied across the survey but was highest at the question asking
about respondent’s marital status (A01) (43.90%). A high item non-response on this question was observed
among many of the countries in Phase II of the survey – though not during phase I (the average INR for all
four Phase I countries at A01 was less than 5%). Other questions with high INR were C31_6, on access tofinancial support (20.90%), C08 on physical harm, abuse, or harassment in the area of the respondent since
COVID-19 (16.10%), C10, a vignette-related question (12.10%), and C07, on physical harm, abuse, or harassmentin the area of the respondent (10.90%).
Table 12: Item non-response (Paraguay)
Question

Question text

Item non-response

A01

What is your marital status?

43.90%A07

How many of the people living in your household are aged 0–17?

0.60%

A08

How many of the people living in your household are men aged 18 or over?

0.40%

15

A02

What is the highest level of education that you completed?

0.50%

A03

Which of the following best describes what you mainly do each day…?

0.20%

A04

In addition to this, do you do any activity that generates an income, even if
only for a few hours a week?

0.10%

A04_1

Would you say that the money that you earn is…

0.50%

A05

Do you have difficulty doing any of the following – walking, seeing (evenwhen wearing glasses), hearing (even with hearing assistance), rememberingor concentrating, self-caring or communicating?

0.40%

A11

Has your household’s income changed at all since the onset of the COVID-19
pandemic?

0.70%

A12_1

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 1.
were worried you
would not have enough food to eat?

0.20%

A12_2

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 2.
were unable to eat
healthy and nutritious food?

0.70%

A12_3

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 3.
ate only a few
kinds of food?

0.20%

A12_4

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 4.
had to skip a meal?

0.30%

A12_5

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 5.
ate less than you
thought you should?

0.30%

A12_6

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 6.
ran out of food?

0.30%

A12_7

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 7.
were hungry but
did not eat?

0.60%

A12_8

During the last month, was there a time when, because of lack of money orother resources, you or others in your household… 8.
went without
eating for a whole day?

0.30%

B02_1

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings
since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been botheredby the following problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Pleaseanswer with: not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly everyday. 1. Not being able to stop or control worrying

2.00%

B02_2

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings
since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been botheredby the following problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Pleaseanswer with: not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly everyday. 2. Having little interest or pleasure in doing things

4.00%

16

B02_3

I would now like to ask you some questions about your thoughts and feelings
since the onset of the COVID-19 situation. How often have you been botheredby the following problems since the onset of the COVID-19 situation? Pleaseanswer with: not at all, several days, more than half the days, or nearly everyday. 3. Feeling down, depressed or hopeless

3.70%

B04

Overall, would you say your own mental or emotional health (e.g., stress,
anxiety, confidence, etc.) has been affected AS A RESULT OF THE COVID-19
SITUATION?

1.00%

C02

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone during the day inthe area where you live?

1.40%

C03

To what extent, if at all, do you feel safe when walking alone at night in thearea where you live?

3.90%

C04

How, if at all, has your feeling of safety while walking alone at night changed
SINCE THE ONSET OF COVID-19?

3.80%

C07

To what extent do you think that physical harm, abuse, or harassment of
women is a problem in the area where you live?

10.90%

C08

How, if at all, do you think physical harm, abuse, or harassment of women in
the area where you live have changed SINCE COVID-19?

16.10%C10

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area
where you live?

12.10%

C11

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better, worse or thesame for [Scripter: insert Female name] from this story?

8.40%

C12

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for thissituation?

6.30%

C13

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help from?

1.50%

C14

How common do you think this type of situation is for women in the area
where you live?

9.00%

C15

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better, worse or thesame for [Scripter: insert Female name] from this story in terms of her
feelings of safety?

8.10%

C16

Do you think [Scripter: insert Female name] would seek help for thissituation?

5.90%

C17

Who would [Scripter: insert Female name] most likely seek help from?

1.40%

C19

When people live together in the same household, they usually share both
good and bad moments. And it is normal for people who live together to havearguments. How often in the last six months would you say that adults inyour household have argued or have had some sort of conflict among
themselves?

1.10%

C20

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made conflict between adults inyour household more frequent, less frequent or about the same?

6.20%

C21

In the last six months, did you ever feel unsafe in your home?

1.00%

17

C22

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has made things better, worse or thesame in terms of how safe you feel in your home?

2.20%

C23_1

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 1. I have a serious medical condition
or disability and feel vulnerable

0.20%

C23_2

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 2. My shelter is insecure from external
threats (e.g., there are no locks on my front door)

0.40%

C23_3

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 3. I am unable to communicate/reachout for help

0.20%

C23_4

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 4. I am living with people I cannot
trust

0.20%

C23_5

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 5. There is substance abuse (e.g.,
alcohol or drugs) in the household

0.10%

C23_6

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 6. There is physical violence or threatsof physical violence in my home

0.10%

C23_7

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 7. There is verbal abuse in my home

0.20%

C23_8

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 8. Other adults in the household havehurt me

0.20%

C23_9

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 9. Other women in the household
have been hurt

0.20%

C23_10Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 10. Children in the household havebeen hurt

0.20%

C23_11

Why do you feel unsafe in your home? 11. Something else

0.80%

C24

How often, if at all, did you go out of your house by yourself in the lastmonth?

1.10%

C25

Would you say the situation of COVID-19 has limited your interactions withyour friends and social groups, such as seeing or speaking to them?

5.30%

C28A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE
LIKES]
3. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner BEFORE THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
4. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
98. Don’t know
99. Refused

1.40%

C28B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I have been slapped or hit by my husband or partner AFTER THE ONSET OF
COVID-19
3. I like [NAME OF WELL KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
4. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]

0.90%

C29A

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:

1.50%

18

1. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD ONE] to [LOCAL FOOD TWO]
2. I like [NAME OF WELL KNOWN LOCAL MUSICIAN, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE
LIKES]
3. Women in my family enjoy watching [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
98. Don’t know
99. Refused

C29B

Please tell me how many of the following statements you regard as true:
1. People in my family have played [POPULAR LOCAL SPORT].
2. I like [NAME OF WELL KNOWN TV SHOW, BUT NOT ONE EVERYONE LIKES]
3. I prefer [LOCAL FOOD THREE] to [LOCAL FOOD FOUR]
98. Don’t know
99. Refused

0.80%

C30_1

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID19, or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
1. Been slapped, hit, kicked, had things thrown at them, or other physical harm

4.40%

C30_2

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID19, or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
2. Been yelled at, called names, humiliated

4.20%

C30_3

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID19, or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
3. Had resources (like health care) or basic needs (like money, food, water,
shelter) denied

4.80%

C30_4

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID19, or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
4. Been forced to stay alone for long period of time or denied communication
with other people

4.90%

C30_5

Now I’m going to ask you about some situations that you or any other women
you know may have experienced. For each situation, please tell if you or any
other women you know have experienced this only before the start of COVID19, only since the start of COVID-19, both before and since the start of COVID-

3.80%

19

19, or not at all. Please listen carefully and just answer “yes” or “no” for eachquestion I ask.
5. Been the subject of inappropriate jokes, suggestive comments, leering, or
unwelcome touch/kisses

C31_1

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
1. Information about security/crime prevention

6.60%

C31_2

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
2. Access to basic needs such as shelter, food, clothing

6.30%

C31_3

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
3. Medical support

7.20%

C31_4

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
4. Someone to talk to like professional mental health experts

7.10%

C31_5

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
5. Legal support or help in reporting the incident or dealing with police

5.50%

C31_6

Are any of the following support services available for women in yourcommunity?
6. Financial support

20.90%

S12

And as a final question, I would like to know if you have another mobile
phone number besides the one I am calling you on? IF YES: How many othermobile phone numbers do you have?

0.70%

2.1.8 Field observations
This section describes the observations made by the field managers and interviewers in the course of
fieldwork. The observations relate to the most productive days for fieldwork; the main reasons for refusal totake part in the survey; challenges reaching certain age groups; and the clarity of terms, concepts andquestions, among other topics. The observations effectively complement the fieldwork statistics included in
the previous section, providing a more nuanced picture of the fieldwork experience.
• According to the field team, weekdays were the best days of the week to reach respondents in
Paraguay. As far as the most suitable time of the day to conduct interviews was concerned, theinterviewers observed that the afternoon hours were much more productive than mornings.
• The main reasons for refusals to take part in the survey were lack of time because of work, not being
able to talk freely (because of other members of the household being in the same room) and finding
the topic of the survey too sensitive.
• In Paraguay, the 60+ age group was less represented in the RDD sample frame. Aside from this,interviewers did not report any specific additional issues in terms of securing the engagement ofolder women, as were observed in other countries (e.g., not wanting to participate in the survey
because of its length, etc.). No recontact database with mobile phone numbers existed in Paraguay

20and thus the local team had no other option but to request an additional RDD sample and an
extended fieldwork period in order to increase the number of interviews with women in the 60+ age
group.
• The (telephone) data-collection method was perceived as appropriate. Women had no particular
reactions of concern when being invited to take part in the survey, and as already mentioned earlier
their only reservation was the length of the interview.
In terms of observations relating to the survey questionnaire:• Regarding reactions to more sensitive questions, the field team reported that some of the
respondents paused for a few seconds and took longer to answer these but, overall, the questions
did not cause discomfort to the respondents.
• The respondents were generally using the popular local food properly to indicate that anotherhousehold member has entered the room, so their privacy had been compromised. In these cases, anadditional appointment was made to complete the interview at a different time.

2.1.9 Lessons learned and recommendations
This section draws upon the fieldwork statistics and observations outlined in the previous sections to provide
recommendations for future surveys on violence against women in Paraguay. Specifically, whether remote
data collection can be considered as an appropriate approach to develop an evidence base on perceptions
and incidence.
• CATI and the use of a single-frame cell phone RDD design worked well in Paraguay, and theresearchers recommend considering this approach for future data-collection activities on violenceagainst women. That said, older women (60+) and those living in certain regions (Este, Centro, Sur,
Norte, and Chaco) were more difficult to reach than other groups with the RDD sample. This should
be reflected in the time dedicated to active data collection in future surveys with age- and regionbased quotas. A longer fieldwork period would help to ensure the quotas are uniformly achieved. For
any surveys with shorter fieldwork periods, consideration should be given from the outset tosupplementing the RDD sample with available contact databases that mimic the characteristics of
the RDD sample. This would increase the likelihood of quotas for harder-to-reach age groups being
met. No such database was held by the Paraguay team at the time of this particular study, but
databases may be available for future studies. Until this becomes possible, recruiting a large
interviewing team and supplying them with a sufficient RDD sample would be the most suitableapproach if fieldwork duration cannot be extended freely.
• In the case of a face-to-face approach, a longer fieldwork period would be absolutely necessary
owing to the extra time required for physical visits to prospective respondents’ homes.
• Given the field team’s observations that weekdays were the most productive for fieldwork, theresearchers recommend that more of the interviewing efforts be concentrated from Monday to
Friday. Additionally, given that afternoons proved to be a good time to reach respondents,
distributing the calling times of the interviewers into shifts is advisable so that more interviewers
can cover this part of the day.

21

• Almost 44% of the respondents did not answer the question asking about their marital status (A01).
The issue was also evident to varying degrees across most of the other phase II countries. The local
team indicated that it is not unusual for women respondents in Paraguay to refuse to provide details
on their marital status. As mentioned, the wording of the answer options to A01 was adjusted inPhase II of the study and this may in part have contributed to the higher item non-response rate
observed. This point notwithstanding, it is generally advisable to place potentially sensitivesociodemographic questions like marital status towards the end of a survey (rather than at the
beginning as was the case in the Rapid Gender Assessment Survey), by which point some rapport will
have been built between the interviewer and the respondent, making it easier for the interviewer toobtain an answer to the question. Including it at the end will also help to ensure that it does notcause dropouts early on in the survey.
• Regarding the use of Guarani by respondent in the survey, the researchers recommend that futurestudies implement the same method applied in the present survey: given the small share of
respondents who felt most comfortable answering the survey only in Guarani (4%) it is not advisable
to translate the entire survey questionnaire.It is preferable to enable respondents to give theiranswers in Guarani (or a combination of Guarani and Spanish) while interviewers code them in
Spanish. This would allow for both better inclusivity in the survey and higher levels of comfort
among respondents who do not feel fully fluent in Spanish (with potentially positive implications forthe quality of the data they provide).

22© 2022 UN Women. All rights reserved.
The views expressed in this publication arethose of the author(s) and do not necessarily
represent the views of UN Women, the United
Nations or any of its affiliated organizations.
Produced by the Women Count programme
Research partner: Ipsos
Editor: Jen Ross
Design: Ouissal Hmazzou

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