Gender Budgeting in G20 Countries

72 Pages Posted: 17 Feb 2022

See all articles by Teresa Curristine

Teresa Curristine

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Nino Tchelishvili

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Virginia Alonso-Albarran

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Alberto Soler

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Gemma Preston

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Sureni Weerathunga

International Monetary Fund (IMF)

Date Written: November 2021

Abstract

Achieving gender equality remains a significant challenge, that has only deepened with the on-set of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gender budgeting (GB) can help promote gender equality by applying a gender perspective to fiscal policies and the budget process. This paper takes stock of GB practices in G20 countries and benchmarks country performance using a GB index and data gathered from an IMF survey. All G20 countries have enacted gender focused fiscal policies but the public financial management (PFM) tools to operationalize these policies are far less established. We find that notwithstanding heterogeneity across countries, the average G20 level of GB practice is relatively low. More progress has been made establishing GB frameworks and budget preparation tools than with budget execution, monitoring and auditing. Too few countries assess the upfront impact of policies on gender and/or evaluate ex-post the effectiveness of policies and programs. Where GB features are in place, they tend to operate as an ‘add-on’, rather than a strategic and integral part of resource allocation decisions. Progress with GB does not appear to be dependent on the level of country development. Key to future efforts will be harnessing opportunities for integrating GB tools into existing PFM systems and more closely linking GB initiatives with PFM reforms.

Keywords: G20, Gender Equality, Gender Budgeting, Public Financial Management, GB practice, GB tool, Gender budgeting (Gb, GB index, IMF Gender Budgeting approach, Gender inequality, Gender budgeting, Budget planning and preparation, Women, Africa

JEL Classification: J16, E61, H61, H50

Suggested Citation

Curristine, Teresa and Tchelishvili, Nino and Alonso-Albarran, Virginia and Soler, Alberto and Preston, Gemma and Weerathunga, Sureni, Gender Budgeting in G20 Countries (November 2021). IMF Working Paper No. 2021/269, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4026499

Teresa Curristine (Contact Author)

International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Nino Tchelishvili

International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Virginia Alonso-Albarran

International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Alberto Soler

International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Gemma Preston

International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20431
United States

Sureni Weerathunga

International Monetary Fund (IMF) ( email )

700 19th Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20431
United States

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