why do gender budget analysis?

Gender budget analysis can improve the effectiveness, efficiency, accountability and transparency of government policy, as well as making significant contributions towards gender equality and the realisation of women's rights.

Expenditure and taxation policies have different implications for, and impacts upon, women and men in terms of their contributions to both the paid and unpaid spheres of work. Gender budget initiatives can reveal these discrepancies and provide governments with the opportunity (in partnership with other actors) to integrate a gender analysis into economic policy. So gender budgeting can benefit society both by reducing socio-economic gender inequalities and by ensuring that public money is better targeted and spent more efficiently, improving policy outcomes.

Gender budgeting also brings internal benefits to government. By strengthening the collection and analysis of gender-disagregated data and enhancing the ability to determine the real value of resources targeted towards women and men - gender budget initiatives can provide a better understanding if how resources are being spent and increase the efficiency of policy.

Many governments also have made national or international commitments to gender equality and a mainstreaming approach; gender budget analysis can assist governments in meeting these aims.