Gender Budgeting

Women are disadvantaged relative to men, according to key economic, social, and political measures of equality, but in many areas, such as education, differences are narrowing. The concept of externalities underlies the arguments for including gender considerations in budget programs and policies. Other arguments have a weaker economic basis but may be more socially or politically compelling. The experience to date with "gender budgeting," which entails looking at gender issues comprehensively within the budget, has been mixed. To become more useful, gender budgeting should be integrated into budget processes in a way that generates tangible improvements in policy outcomes. The International Monetary Fund should encourage fiscal authorities to take into account the external benefits of reducing gender inequalities and to remove from fiscal legislation any arbitrary discrimination against women.Gender equality;Government expenditures;Fund policies;gender budgeting, gender inequalities, gender inequality, gender issues, gender bias, gender equity, status of women, girls, gender gap, health care, gender considerations, gender analysis, gender perspective, gender differences, gender budgets, health status, gender mainstreaming, female poverty, gender dimensions, reproductive health, poor women, gender gaps, health services, gender impact, childbearing, health inequalities, gender biases, female mortality, role of women, violence against women, participation of women, discrimination against women, gender disparity, gender discrimination, gender disparities, female children, birth, feminist economics, number of children, wage differences, gender responsive budget, gender budget initiatives, unemployment among women, educational attainment, assessment of gender, economics of gender, gender concerns, fourth world conference on women, women workers, gender breakdown, world conference on women, equal treatment, family income, women in management, male headed households, sexes, gender initiatives, gender development, prenatal care, integration of women, living standards, women leaders, government policies on women, equal opportunities for women, gender implications, fertility, gender sensitive, unifem, service provision, gender specific, equal access to education, integration of gender, gender equality coordinators, gender budget, opportunities for women, economic role of women, commitments to women, plan for gender equality, female labor, representation of women, discrimination in education, gender equality in rights, conference on women, gender aspect