Gender Budgeting

„Gender budgeting is an application of gender mainstreaming in the budgetary process. It means a gender-based assessment of budgets, incorporating a gender perspective at all levels of the budgetary process and restructuring revenues and expenditures in order to promote gender equality.“ (Source: Council of Europe: Gender Budgeting: Final report of the Group of specialists on gender budgeting, Strasbourg, Council of Europe, 2005, at p. 10. quoted according to study)

Gender Budgeting is part of the Gender Mainstreaming-Strategy and its aim to consider gender-specific realities in all activities and undertakings from the start. Thus the needs of both women and men are to be satisfied equally, as for instance the configuration of public parks, the construction of public buildings and the distribution of resources. This video of the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions shows the exciting questions of daily living connected with Gender Budgeting:

…means to analyse the federal, state and community budgets with regard to their impact on the lives of women and men, and to adapt them according to gender equality objectives.

The Federal Budget Reform and the principle of outcome orientation are considered as a great opportunity for gender budgeting and to promote gender equality policies in Austria. It is of the most importance to employ existing funds in the most equitable way in order to achieve effective equality of women and men within the national budget.

Austria has made strong commitments on legal and political level to realise gender equality at all levels. Since 2009 Gender Budgeting has been enshrined in the Federal Constitution:

Austrian Federal Constitution, Art. 13, para. 3

“Federation, Laender and municipalities have to aim at the equal status of women and men in the budget management.”

Austrian Federal Constitution, Art. 51, para. 8

„In the budget management of the Federation the fundamental principles of impact orientation, especially considering the objectives of the effective equality of men and women, […] are to be observed.“

Source: Website Imag-gmb.at and Blog Blog.imag-gendermainstreaming.at of the Inter – ministerial working group on gender mainstreaming/budgeting of the Federal Ministry of Health and Women’s Affairs