Hand in Hand
Gender budgeting can tackle inequalities while aiding economic recovery, writes Liz Hind
The government’s laser focus on improving the economy may seem single-minded, but equality remains at the heart of its project. Indeed, the two goals are complementary. By analysing the roles that different groups of women and men play not only in working life, but in caring responsibilities, and by examining needs in transport, health and many more areas of public expenditure, we can ensure that economic renewal leaves a legacy of equality.
This is not mere wishful thinking. Sixty-two per cent of countries in the OECD are already using gender budgeting to improve the economic standing of women – and by 2060, they could add an average of 9.2 per cent to their GDPs as a result, by closing gaps in labour force participation. Leading countries include Austria, Mexico, Korea, Canada and the Nordic countries. Gender budgeting aims to improve economic empowerment, participation in decision-making, access to health and education, and the prevention of violence. It recognises that public spending is not gender neutral, and that public policy is frequently undermined by hidden inequalities and biases. In particular, women are more likely to provide unpaid care, experience gendered violence, and work in particular sectors of the economy. Moreover, outcomes for women experiencing multiple forms of inequalities along the lines of race, class, disability are often worse than for the population overall. All of this influences how government spending decisions affect them.
Importantly, gender budgeting is not about spending more money. Neither is it about creating separate budgets for men and women. Instead, it goes beyond traditional equality impact assessments and introduces tools that integrate gendered considerations at every stage of policy development and resource allocation, ensuring fairer distribution of public money and improving services for everyone. In places where gender budgeting has been established for some time, legal frameworks now require equality considerations in budget setting. These include ex ante impact assessments and auditing post budget, creating a cycle of continuous improvement.
To illustrate what this looks like in practice, consider transport policy – a key concern for gender budgeting that, like many gender equality issues, is commissioned and administered at the local level. Safe and reliable public transport that connects places women want to go enables them to be more mobile, supporting access to good quality jobs. Because women take on the majority of care, their travel patterns can be different. They are more likely to make multiple, shorter journeys on the outskirts of population centres, for example – a pattern known as trip chaining. This might be because they are taking children to school before going to work, or dropping shopping to an older relative or neighbour on the way home.
Transport systems, however, have historically been designed for radial commuting, which, if left unaddressed, can leave women with higher costs, longer travel times, and limited workplace options. Women also tend to feel less safe on public transport. Better lighting and clearer wayfinding can increase comfort, and expand the times and places women feel able to travel.
Countries that have adopted gender budgeting show the value of formally involving women’s organisations, backed by high quality data, to shape priorities and guide spending. In the UK, many local women’s organisations are ready to contribute. Establishing formal, two-way engagement structures ensures their insights influence budget decisions while respecting their time and expertise.
The goals of gender budgeting marry well with Labour’s ambitions for devolved economies. Labour already understands that different regions need different solutions, and that real growth comes from the grassroots upwards. Fittingly, the devolved governments of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales are leading the way in gender budgeting. In Scotland, a Strategic Integrated Impact Assessment is published annually, and uses budget tagging to identify priorities. This is a positive step toward gender budgeting, although the Scottish Women’s Budget Group recommends that further work is needed to assess how spending affects different groups.
In England, work is starting on embedding gender budgeting in local decisions. In London, the GLA recently published a report detailing how equalities should be embedded in transport planning, and recommended that transport is used as a pilot project on gender budgeting. The report outlines improvements in data collection and analysis and recognises that formally involving civil society speeds up effective understanding and implementation.
In its plans for devolution, Labour should use this tried and tested methodology to achieve its goals of increased equality and an improved economy. By formally embedding gender budgeting in devolution plans, we could ensure a better, more equal economy, not just for the duration of this parliament, but for generations of women.
