Gender Budgeting – Just another trend? How has it developed?

Budget policies are social policies as put into figures by public authorities which are the motor of our society. As such, public budgets are the mirrors of social, societal and economic priorities. Yet, how did all this fuzz about Gender Budgeting start out? Who invented it and who introduced it in Austria? The following timeline points to a selection of examples, institutions and projects at national, European and international level.

Study featuring EU Budget for Gender Equality

28. May 2015

In a study entitled „The EU Budget for Gender Equality”, which was commissioned by FEMM, a selection of titles of the EU budget were scrutinised with regard to their gender dimension. For further information, click here.

Read more

Parliamentary Budget Office

10. November 2011

The mandate of the Austrian Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) is to support the National Council in the budgetary process, in consulting and enacting budget laws and exercising its oversight role. Its key tasks are: – To support the Budget Committee in form of written expertise, analysis and short studies on budgetary matters presented by the government according to budget law – To support other parliamentary committees regarding impact assessment of new legislation – To consult especially on performance and gender…

Read more

10th anniversary of the Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming/Budgeting

6. September 2011

Celebrating 10 years of existence of the  Inter-Ministerial Working Group on Gender Mainstreaming/Budgeting, a study was carried out. Its findings and conclusions would be considered in a Council Decision on GM issued in 2011. The latter points to the necessity of   Structural implementation of Gender Mainstreaming in the ministries (e.g. via management meetings with GM officers); Further education and training as well as awareness-raising via information; Legal implementation: Gender Mainstreaming must be considered in legal decision-making processes. This has…

Read more

EIGE

20. December 2006

In December 2006 the European Institute for Gender Equality was established by means of a Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council. It is an independent body which has its seat in Vilnius and aims to support the EU member states in implementing effective equality between women and men.

Read more

3rd Council Resolution on Gender Budgeting, Austria

9. March 2004

The so-called third Resolution by the Austrian Council of Ministers lays the foundation for the implementaion of Gender Budgeting. In fact, it calls for the consideration of Gender Budgeting  in all budgeting activities.

Read more

GB goes University

1. October 2002

In 2002 the University of Vienna organised a lecture on “Women and Budgets”. The contents adressed in the course of this lecture would be published as a book afterwards

Read more

3rd Action programme on men and women

15. June 1991

From 1991-1995 the Commission launched the 3rd Action programme on men and women to promote gender equality.

Read more

Third UN World Conference on Women

15. July 1985

1400 official delegates from 157 countries participated in the UN’s Third World Conference on Women in Nairobi. It represented the culmination of ten years of work on gender empowerment. The Forward-Looking Strategies as well as an Action Plan, adopted by the conference, provided a blueprint for action until 2000. Also, the termi Gender Mainstreaming was used for the first time to refer to women’s values and rights.

Read more

Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men

9. December 1981

In 1981 the Commission established an Advisory Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men. It assists the Commission in formulating and implementing measures targeted at equal opportunities for women and men as well as continuous exchange of best practices and experiences from the member states and other stakeholders with regard thereto (see Commission Decision 82/43/EEC, which was amended in 1995).  

Read more

GB is “born”

14. June 1980

In academic literature, the 1980s are referred to as the birth years of Gender Budgeting when first Gender Budgeting projects were implemented in Australia.

Read more

First UN Voluntary Fund for Women

16. December 1976

The UN establishes a Voluntary Fund for the UN-Decade for Women – VFDW (by UN Resolution 31/133 of 16 December 1976). From 1984-1985 the Fund is renamed to UNIFEM by UN-Resolution A/RES/39/125 and becomes an unlimited United Nations Development Programme – UNDP. It has its seat in New York and receives funding from voluntary donations.

Read more

Further FAQ:

Gender Budgeting – What’s that?

Gender Budgeting – Do we have to do that? Can we? May we? Should we? What do legal stipulations tell us about Gender Budgeting??

Gender Budgeting – How does it work?

Gender Budgeting – Who is practising it?

Gender Budgeting – What does all that terminology mean?