Everything you ever wanted to know about gender budgeting but were afraid to ask

Have you ever wondered who benefits from public spending decisions? Women use public services to a greater degree than men, but does that mean they benefit in equal or greater measure from the public purse?

Historically, government spending decisions are viewed as gender-neutral, and it is often assumed that women and men benefit equally. We know, however, that structural inequalities are still embedded in society and women do not enjoy equal access to resources. As a result, budget decisions more often than not have an unintended, differential impact on women and men.

Gender budgeting aims to raise awareness of the different impacts on women and men of publicly funded policies and programmes. It seeks to integrate gender analysis into economic policy and government spending plans.

This means examining how the allocation of public funds affects the economic and social opportunities of women and men; a process which provides strong evidence to support a more gender equal budgetary process, and equality of outcomes for women and men.

She Works Hard for the Money: How gender budgeting can promote equality for women in Scotland

On Tuesday 7^th June we are co-hosting an event with our friends at Engender and the Scottish Women’s Budget Group. The event will look at gender budgeting, how it works in practice, and what it can achieve. It is also an opportunity to learn more about the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, and how you can get involved to help shape its future work to promote women’s equality.

This free event is being held at the Glasgow Women’s Library, a fantastic space which houses a lending library, archive collections and contemporary and historical artefacts relating to women’s lives, histories and achievements. You can register for the event here.