Budgeting Process from the Gender Equality Perspective

Principal investigator: Prof. Ana Marija Sikirić, PhD - EFRI

In spite of the perception of individuals, gender inequality in the European society continues to be persistent and best-reflected by the position of women in the labor market. Women make up a larger proportion of the highly educated population, but activity rates, employment rates and gross earnings of women are lower than men. This indicates that although women represent a huge workforce potential, their contribution to economic activity, growth and prosperity is disproportionate to their potential.


The reason for unequal participation of men and women in the labor market can be linked with their gender in the society.  Society expects women to take over the majority of unpaid work which often prevents equal opportunities in the labor market. Exclusion from the labor market makes women financially dependent on men, which limits their control over their own lives and creates a hierarchical relationship of subordination between equally valuable social groups.


Since economic power is unsustainable without more intensive participation of women in the labor market, the problem of gender inequality is often placed in the focus of macroeconomic policies among which, due to their allocation and redistribution function, fiscal policy and budget are set as a good tool for its elimination. Government spending of public funds should, with continuous support to economic development, equally meet the public needs of all citizens and redistribute wealth to ensure greater equality and minimum living conditions of all citizens, including men and women.


The aim of this project is to point out that it is necessary to take into account different socially and biologically created roles of women and men, and thus to consider additional criteria for determining public expenditures and revenues in a way that, apart from the stabilization goals, will also contribute to better redistribution of income and equal fulfillment of public needs of all citizens, including women and men.