## Gender Budgeting in G20 Countries

_IMF Working Papers, November 12, 2021_

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**Canonical URL:** [Gender Budgeting in G20 Countries](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2021/11/12/gender-budgeting-in-g20-countries-506816)

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## Bibliographic details
- Authors: Virginia Alonso-Albarran, Teresa R Curristine, Gemma Preston, Alberto Soler, Nino Tchelishvili, Sureni Weerathunga
- Published: November 12, 2021
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9781616354510.001

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### Overview
- 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.

### Key findings
- All G20 countries have enacted gender focused fiscal policies but the public financial management (PFM) tools to operationalize these policies are far less established.
- 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.

### Analysis of GB integration with PFM
- Existing PFM systems have been a more common locus for establishing GB frameworks and budget preparation tools than for embedding GB into execution, monitoring, and auditing processes.
- The limited use of impact assessment and ex-post evaluation constrains evidence-based adjustments to policy and program design aimed at gender outcomes.
- GB initiatives that are not closely linked to PFM reforms risk remaining peripheral to core resource allocation and fiscal decision-making.

### Policy implications and recommendations
- Key to future efforts will be harnessing opportunities for integrating GB tools into existing PFM systems.
- More closely linking GB initiatives with PFM reforms to ensure GB is strategic and integral to resource allocation decisions.
- Strengthen mechanisms for assessing upfront gender impacts of policies and for conducting ex-post evaluations of policy and program effectiveness to build an evidence base for GB.

*IMF Working Paper "Gender Budgeting in G20 Countries"*

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## Content in this bundle

- **Working Paper**
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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/wp/issues/2021/11/12/gender-budgeting-in-g20-countries-506816_