Why Gender Responsive Budgeting ?

1. Why Gender Responsive Budgeting ?

2. Assumption 1: the economy is not a gendered structure • Economic theory is based on”market rationale” • The economy appears gender neutral, when in fact it has very different impacts on women and men • Economic policies often regards family as the smallest unit not individuals • Assumes that women and men has equal power

3. Assumption 2: un-paid work is free private sector Formal paid work public sector NGO sector Formal paid work Formal paid work Formal unpaid work domestic sector Unpaid care work Re-visioning the economy to include the contribution of care activities

4. Assumption 3: Economic policy are not gender bias • Economic institutions carry and transmit gender biases/stereotypin: • The male lifestyle is the role model • Women are often discriminated • Gender segregated labor market

5. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimates that the value of the invisible work done by women is $11 trillion per year, and that the sum of global output would be almost 50% greater if this work was included in the assessment of the economy.

6. Performance indicators Cost Quality Quantity Timeliness equity Actual outcome Appropriateness equity Cost equity Policy objectives Budget allocations inputs outputs outcomes Policy objectives economy efficiency effectiveness Criteria for assessment of value for money Cost effectiveness of achieving government objectives

7. Gender budgeting provides a range of methodologies for analysis of expenditure and revenue streams by gender, enabling policy makers, analysts and governments to understand any differential impacts on men and women of policy decisions. Gender Budgeting does not imply an increased focus on gender specific expenditure or revenue.

8. Three core goals of gender budget initiatives Make governments accountable for their gender budgetary and policy commitments. Raise awareness and understanding of gender issues and impacts of budgets and policies. Change and refine government budgets And policies to promote gender Equality.

9. Impact of integrating a gender perspective in the budgetary process

10. Tools for gender analysis of the National Budget Requires simultaneous actions at three levels: Application of policy tools Use of gender disaggregated data Strengthening dialogue

12. The Beijing Platform for Action: • One of the Strategic Objectives adopted is for governments to: • restructure and target the allocation of public expenditures to promote women’s economic opportunities and equal access to productive resources and to address the basic social, educational and health needs of women; • facilitate more open and transparent budget processes; • review, adopt and maintain macro-economic policies and development strategies that address the needs and efforts of women in poverty

13. GRB is supported by major international organizations: • OECD • The World Bank • UNDP • EU • Beijing +5 • The Nordic Council of Ministers • The Commonwealth governments: At their meeting in • September 2002, Commonwealth finance ministers, as part of a • wider commitment to work towards gender equality in economic • policy-making”agreed to make substantial progress on • implementing gender-responsive budgets within their respective • budget setting processes”

14. More information can be achieved from the Nordic Council of Ministers Gender Responsive Budgeting Project www.norden.org Project Director: catharina.schmitz@publicmanagement.se