Poster #15 - Can gender budgeting benefit both men and women? Evidence from the OECD and LAC

• In Event: Friday Poster Reception

Abstract

Gender budgeting has gained global attention as a key tool for advancing inclusion and equity. Despite its promise, gender budgeting faces criticism often coming from advocates of gender neutral budgets. However, gender budgeting does not intend to harm any group—when men and boys face certain needs, gender responsiveness requires addressing them. This study tests whether gender budgeting influences key dimensions of human development, such as economic prosperity, health, and educational attainment. Specifically, we ask whether gender budgeting affects women and men differently, and if it helps in achieving broader human development goals. We conduct an event study analysis leveraging the timing of initiatives across countries to examine their impact on societal outcomes for men and women. Outcomes span several dimensions of human development like educational attainment, economy, labor force participation, and life expectancy. Our sample spans 46 countries, which includes all 38 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) members and eight Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries over 23 years (2000–2022). The results indicate that gender budgeting not only positively impacts women, but also equally benefits men, or even more so. On the other hand, we do not find any evidence for disparities when utilizing measures like female-male GNI ratios. This suggests that gender budgeting improves outcomes for both genders with no trade-offs, and potentially creates wider positive effects on public services, such as education, health, and social welfare. While many countries adopt gender budgeting as a tool to reduce gender inequality, it could help mitigate losses in human development. In this sense, gender budgeting has the potential to contribute to furthering both goals—equality and development.

Authors

• Marjorie De la Cruz, Florida International University
  Presenting Author

• Yoon-Jung Choi, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author

• Milena I Neshkova, Florida International University
  Non-Presenting Co-Author