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Article from Ministry of Finance

The Government’s work on gender-responsive budgeting

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Sweden’s Government is a feminist government, and the work for equality between women and men is important to the Government. The Government’s budget must be designed so that it may contribute to gender equality. The Government Offices therefore continuously works with gender-responsive budgeting, which means that the gender equality effects of the budget policy are evaluated.

In Sweden, there are still major differences in the conditions between women and men. The Government’s overall gender equality policy objective is for women and men to have the same power to shape society and their own lives. The central government budget is an important tool for the Government’s efforts to implement its policies.

For a feminist government, gender-responsive budgeting is a strategic instrument for achieving the gender equality policy objectives. Gender-responsive budgeting means that the gender equality effects of the budget policy are evaluated, and that revenues and expenditures must be redistributed to promote gender equality. The Government’s ambition is for a gender perspective to be included in all steps of the budget process. The Government Offices has clear guidelines for using a gender perspective in key work processes, for example in the budgetary process and agency governance.

The Government’s work on a gender perspective in its budgetary policy means that society’s resources are to be of benefit to the entire population. A feminist government’s budget must be based on gender analyses of proposals and reforms to ensure that, as far as is possible, choices, priorities and resource allocation in the budget reflect the Government’s gender equality ambitions. Account must be taken of gender equality in all Government policies.

The work of developing gender-responsive budgeting is to be carried out continuously and systematically to ensure a clearer gender equality perspective in the Government’s policies. The Ministry of Finance’s Budget Department cooperates with the Ministry of Employment’s Gender Equality Division on gender-responsive budgeting.

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