Answer: 

Introduction:

Gender Budgeting is not an accounting exercise but an ongoing process of keeping a gender perspective in policy/programme formulation, its implementation and review. It entails dissection of the Government budgets to establish its gender differential impacts and to ensure that gender commitments are translated into budgetary commitments.

Women constitute 48% of India’s population, but they lag behind men on many social indicators like health, education, economic opportunities, etc. The way Government budgets allocate resources, has the potential to transform these gender inequalities. In view of this, Gender Budgeting has been propagated as a tool for achieving gender mainstreaming.

Body:

The key requirements of a gender budget:

• Data: An analysis of the situation for women and men and girls and boys and their different sub- groups (age and social status wise) in a given sector.
• Impact study: This step should include an assessment of the relevant legislation, policies, programme and schemes. It includes an analysis of both the written policy as well as the implicit policy reflected in government activities and the extent to which the situation has changed.
• Current budgetary allocation: An assessment of the adequacy of budget allocations to implement the gender sensitive policies and programmes currently being implemented.

Status of gender budgeting in India:

• Ever since the gender budgeting has been adopted in 2005, the Indian budget lists out schemes exclusively for women. States like Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Kerala, Assam, Bihar, etc have adopted gender budgeting.
• Greater gender equality in education: More girls are enrolling with increase in awareness. Spending on infrastructure for girls has also increased.
• Infrastructure: Providing women with safe toilets in school especially in villages, giving free cycles for easy commutation, providing them with drinking water facilities, sanitary pads, etc.
• Women have more opportunities for engaging in formal employment opportunities. This has helped improve women’s economic equality.

However not every objective could be achieved by gender budgeting:

• India has a low level of female labour force participation: Women are coming forward to engage in jobs only during economic distress.
• Gender disparity in terms of economic freedom, financial rights, freedom to work and legal status.
• Social customs also bind women from achieving greater heights. There is a dual burden on women of both household and outside jobs.

Conclusion:

A gender sensitive budget helps in translating gender-specific commitments into budgetary commitments. Since women comprise approx 48% of the population of India, it becomes important for their voices to be heard. Gender based inequality will reduce provided this step is effectively implemented.