# Datacard for Madagascar Gender Indicators (1960-2024)

This dataset contains a time-series of key gender indicators for Madagascar, spanning from 1960 to 2024. The data has been aggregated from multiple sources, cleaned, and processed into a single, analysis-ready CSV file.

The raw data was sourced from **The World Bank** data portal. The original files were provided in Excel (.xls) format.

- **Temporal Coverage**: 1960-2024
- **Geographic Coverage**: Madagascar
- **Format**: Comma-Separated Values (CSV)

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## Data Points (Features)

The dataset includes the following gender indicators, with 'Year' serving as the primary date column:

1. `contraceptive_prevalence_any_method_of_married_women_ages_15_49_`: Contraceptive prevalence, any method (% of married women ages 15-49)
2. `proportion_of_seats_held_by_women_in_national_parliaments_`: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments (%)
3. `school_enrollment_primary_and_secondary_gross_gender_parity_index_gpi_`: School enrollment, primary and secondary (gross), gender parity index (GPI)

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## Data Preparation & Missing Data Handling

The raw data was processed using a Python script to transform it into a clean, structured format. The key steps were:

1.  **Filtering**: The data was filtered to include only records for 'Madagascar'.
2.  **Reshaping**: The original wide-format data (years as columns) was melted into a long format.
3.  **Merging**: Data from all indicator files was merged into a single DataFrame on 'Year'.
4.  **Handling Missing Data**: Missing values (`NaN`) were filled using a two-step strategy: linear interpolation followed by a back-fill to handle any remaining gaps at the start of the series.