{
  "title": "Engendering the Recovery: Budgeting with Women in Mind",
  "publication": "IMF Blog, March 5, 2021",
  "sourceUrl": "https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2021/03/05/blog-engendering-the-recovery-budgeting-with-women-in-mind",
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  "summary": "International Women’s Day, March 8, marks a year from the start of widespread lockdowns in response to COVID-19. As an IMF blog warned back in July, women have borne the economic and social brunt of the pandemic.",
  "sections": [
    {
      "heading": "Overview and context",
      "content": "- Publication date: March 5, 2021.\n- Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh, Jiro Honda, Carolina Renteria, Vincent Tang.\n- Context: International Women’s Day, March 8, marks a year from the start of widespread lockdowns in response to COVID-19; IMF warned in July that women have borne the economic and social brunt of the pandemic.\n- Central message: Governments preparing budgets for the next fiscal year have a “golden opportunity” to counter pandemic-driven gender inequities by applying gender budgeting tools."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Evidence of unequal impacts",
      "content": "- Labor market and social impacts documented:\n  - \"one million Japanese women left the labor market when the pandemic hit, while labor force participation by men changed far less.\"\n  - In Chile, \"76 percent of women reported spending more time on domestic chores since COVID-19 began.\"\n  - Mexico saw a \"53 percent increase in emergency calls related to violence against women.\"\n  - The Malala Fund estimates \"20 million girls in developing countries may never return to the classroom after pandemic-related school shutdowns.\"\n- Policy response scale:\n  - The UN’s COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker shows countries enacted \"nearly 1,000 policy measures\" addressing gender-related challenges.\n- IMF findings:\n  - IMF research concludes such policy measures \"increase women’s employment which, in turn, improves economic well-being for all.\"\n  - Failing to build on these measures risks \"long-term scarring that will cement women’s disadvantage and harms the prospects for recovery.\""
    },
    {
      "heading": "What is gender budgeting",
      "content": "- Definition: Integrates gender into the policies and processes of public financial management; uses national budgets as a tool to address gender inequalities.\n- Purpose: Ensure policy responses are needs-based, effectively designed, aligned with the budget process, and monitored and evaluated for improved implementation."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Starter kit for gender budgeting (actionable steps)",
      "content": "- Assemble evidence:\n  - Conduct a Gender Needs Assessment to assess the impact of the pandemic and lockdown on women and girls, including sectoral impacts and dependence on public services.\n  - Example: UN‑Women performed a Gender Needs Assessment in Ukraine \"in just one month\" at the start of the pandemic using phone and online surveys.\n- Better policy design:\n  - Use Gender Impact Assessments to evaluate the proportion of female beneficiaries and barriers to access; Austria and Canada now include them \"as part of all new budget proposals.\"\n  - Assessments can reveal unintended bias (e.g., wage subsidy schemes excluding informal sector workers; tax policies discouraging women from working).\n- Allocate resources:\n  - Allocate sufficient resources to gender policies to convert goals into action.\n  - Example: IMF’s Egypt program included measures to support higher budget allocations for targeted cash transfers \"many to women,\" and to improve public childcare services.\n  - Recommendation: Anchor gender policy goals through Budget Circulars and Gender Budget Statements to ensure resources are channeled and to provide public confidence and transparency.\n  - Example: Philippines’ 2021 Budget Circular incorporates priority policy areas, including in health, nutrition, and social protection, that support women.\n- Track and evaluate:\n  - Track gender-focused expenditures, undertake light-touch policy evaluations, and conduct gender performance audits to provide timely feedback and course correction.\n  - Example: Sierra Leone’s real-time audits during the Ebola epidemic \"effectively responded\" and highlighted issues in drug distribution and duplicated payments."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Capacity, coverage, and gaps",
      "content": "- IMF engagement and capacity building:\n  - The IMF has worked with \"113 member countries\" on implementing budgetary practices, allocations, and tax policies to promote gender equality.\n  - Since the start of the pandemic, \"over 55 countries\" have invested in gender budgeting training with the Fund.\n- Legal and procedural gaps:\n  - An IMF survey finds \"only half have legal frameworks\" to carry out gender equality goals.\n  - \"Only a quarter use established practices such as Gender Budget Statements and Gender Impact Assessments.\"\n- Implication: Almost all countries have gender equality goals, but many lack the legal frameworks and established practices to implement them; recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity to accelerate progress."
    },
    {
      "heading": "Policy recommendations (summarized)",
      "content": "- Rapidly assemble and present gender-disaggregated evidence (e.g., Gender Needs Assessments).\n- Integrate Gender Impact Assessments into budget proposal design to avoid unintended biases and improve targeting.\n- Anchor gender goals in budget processes via Budget Circulars and Gender Budget Statements to secure resources and transparency.\n- Track expenditures and evaluate impacts through audits and policy evaluations to enable timely corrective action.\n- Scale up capacity building and legal frameworks to translate gender equality goals into implementable policies.\n\nIMF Blog: Engendering the Recovery: Budgeting with Women in Mind — March 5, 2021.\n\n---\n\n\n References\n\n- one million Japanese women\n- these measures work\n- improves economic well-being\n- IMF’s Egypt program\n\nSource: https://www.imf.org/en/blogs/articles/2021/03/05/blog-engendering-the-recovery-budgeting-with-women-in-mind"
    }
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    "[Markdown version](/en/blogs/articles/2021/03/05/blog-engendering-the-recovery-budgeting-with-women-in-mind/index.md)",
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    "Authors: Antoinette M Sayeh, Jiro Honda, Carolina Renteria, Vincent Tang",
    "Published: March 5, 2021",
    "Publication date: March 5, 2021.",
    "Authors: Antoinette M. Sayeh, Jiro Honda, Carolina Renteria, Vincent Tang.",
    "Context: International Women’s Day, March 8, marks a year from the start of widespread lockdowns in response to COVID-19; IMF warned in July that women have borne the economic and social brunt of the pandemic.",
    "Central message: Governments preparing budgets for the next fiscal year have a “golden opportunity” to counter pandemic-driven gender inequities by applying gender budgeting tools.",
    "Labor market and social impacts documented:",
    "Policy response scale:",
    "IMF findings:",
    "Definition: Integrates gender into the policies and processes of public financial management; uses national budgets as a tool to address gender inequalities.",
    "Purpose: Ensure policy responses are needs-based, effectively designed, aligned with the budget process, and monitored and evaluated for improved implementation.",
    "Assemble evidence:",
    "Better policy design:",
    "Allocate resources:",
    "Track and evaluate:",
    "IMF engagement and capacity building:",
    "Legal and procedural gaps:",
    "Implication: Almost all countries have gender equality goals, but many lack the legal frameworks and established practices to implement them; recovery from the pandemic is an opportunity to accelerate progress.",
    "Rapidly assemble and present gender-disaggregated evidence (e.g., Gender Needs Assessments).",
    "Integrate Gender Impact Assessments into budget proposal design to avoid unintended biases and improve targeting.",
    "Anchor gender goals in budget processes via Budget Circulars and Gender Budget Statements to secure resources and transparency.",
    "Track expenditures and evaluate impacts through audits and policy evaluations to enable timely corrective action.",
    "Scale up capacity building and legal frameworks to translate gender equality goals into implementable policies.",
    "[one million Japanese women](https://blogs.imf.org/2020/09/09/guilt-gender-and-an-inclusive-recovery-a-lesson-from-japan/)",
    "[these measures work](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Departmental-Papers-Policy-Papers/Issues/2016/12/31/Unlocking-Female-Employment-Potential-in-Europe-Drivers-and-Benefits-43712)",
    "[improves economic well-being](https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Policy-Papers/Issues/2018/05/31/pp053118pursuing-womens-economic-empowerment)",
    "[IMF’s Egypt program](https://www.imf.org/en/News/Articles/2016/11/11/PR16501-Egypt-Executive-Board-Approves-12-billion-Extended-Arrangement)"
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