Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) aims to incorporate a gender perspective into budgetary decisions, but its effectiveness varies. Ecuador’s celebrated GRB system led to increased awareness but faced resistance from some officials, Juan Pablo Martínez Guzmán (University of Maryland) found.
Gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) is a type of reform that aims to introduce a gendered perspective into fiscal decisions. While GRB dates back to the 1980s, the past two decades have seen an exponential proliferation of these reforms, reaching over 80 countries worldwide. The expansion of GRB has been particularly significant in Latin America, where at least 18 countries have initiated reforms.
While there is no specific template for GRB, there are certain tools that are commonly used in most countries. One example is the use of gender-oriented impact assessments. These assessments aim to determine whether government interventions have a differentiated effect on men and women, either ex-post or ex-ante. Another example is the use of gender-disaggregated budget statements, which seek to enhance transparency by detailing how much resources have been allocated to programs that can potentially reduce gender gaps and/or disaggregate the total beneficiaries of government interventions by gender.