India’s Union Budget 2021-’22 is of distinct importance, given that the country is still reeling under the Covid-19 pandemic, which has worsened its already weak economy. At the micro-level, women were the first to face the brunt of the economic slowdown, loss of livelihoods and weakened income capacities.
With women constituting almost half of India’s population (48%), their economic contribution to the GDP stands at around 17%. As traditional caregivers, most roles played by women are not considered as contributors to the economy.
Gender-responsive budgeting
In order to address the inherent gender disparities, all programmes and policies should be designed to address gender-based problems such as violence, sexual harassment and the wage gap.
In India, gender-responsive budgeting was first introduced in 2001 and mandated in 2006, with the aim of gender inclusivity at all stages of policymaking. The gender budget is prepared in two parts – Part A, which lays out…