Gender and equity implications of 2015 budget

Presentation at MIDS Seminar (20th March 2015) on Indian Budget 2015

Researcher and Consultant Gender, Equity and Development Email: rk_km2000@yahoo.com

Objectives

Framework

AnalysisWays forward

What is not a gender sensitive budget analysis?

• Ignoring the gendered implications of the paradigm of development promoted on women and men

• Focusing only on expenditure

• Not just seeing how much is allocated to women’s schemes

• 50% of tax revenues by women, 50% by men

• 50% of resources under each budget line goes to women

• Viewing apparently neutral terms like taxes, insurance and pensions as having same implications for women and men

(Adapted Elson, 2011)

What kind of budget can be considered gender-sensitive?

Contributes to a Caring, Equitable and Sustainable Economy

Adapted from Ruth Pearson, n.dUK Women’s Budget Group Management Committee member

What is gender-sensitive budget analysis?

• Analysis of gendered implications of paradigm of development

• Analysis of implications of taxation, fund flow, pension and insurance policies etc on different groups of women and men

• Analysis of whether the budget promotes gender/social equity within all sectors

• Analysis of whether gender/social equity objectives are protected even if budgets are being reduced

• Analysis of whether budget is adequate to back gender-specific and transformative legislation, policies and plans.

(Adapted :Elson, 2011, AIDWA, 2015, Mishra et al, 2013, Patel, 2015)

Gendered implications of neo-liberal paradigm

Fr rolling back the state

Well being-

Workload

Fr opening up of markets

Care provisions entry weak

Men as norm

Women in lower rungs, gender gap

in earnings

Ltd asset base

Right wing Ideology

Matritva

Beti

Not economic political role of

women

LBT

Gender and social implications of taxation policies Budget 2015

• Benefits wealthy

• Upper-caste/class men

• Shrinking of redistributive fundsScrapping of wealth tax

• Benefits corporates

• Benefits dominant community men as share holders

• Shrinking of redistributive funds

Reduction of corporate tax

• Raising funds for poor, including for poor marginalised women and men difficult

• Prices of some of the essential commodities to rise Shrinking of income tax base and increase

in indirect tax; more deductions

• Benefits corporates

• Dominant community men as share holders

• Shrinking of redistributive funds

Defer anti-avoidance rules

Adapted: Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability, 2015

Implications of more non plan expenditure

Plan expenditure -

Non Plan expenditure +

Social services budget could

reduce with

implications for marg.

women

Gendered implications of fund transfer and financing policies

• Decentralisation of funds to state– will hierarchical attitudes affect implementation? Some not able to spend?

• Centre reducing support for revenue expenditure for a number of plan schemes

• Hence, the total resource envelope for social sectors in the country could witness a decline in 2015-16 -will affect marginalised women more than men

Gender-implications of other proposals

Pension

Insurance

Start up businesses-

/PAN/job creation

Gold monetization?

Direct transfers?

Education loan?

Power plant?

Roof/livelihood MGNREGA

Drop?No

land?

Budget to gender intensified components

MWCD-

More for -C

SC/ST. DWS WR/H/PR/RD/Ag/SME.

AH

Care other than ICDS-

Mid day meal-

Urban housing?

Paid work

Political participation

MGNREGA=

Anemia

Finance, police UD. law

Within ’Gender’ budget what has reduced?

Shelter homes

Schemes for single women

One stop crisis center/help line/PWDVA/Restorative

Hostel for working women

ICDS. ICPS Sabla

Middle and Higher education

MGNREGA

Strengthening PRI

GB as % of total budget

0.94% and as % of GDP

0.012% both GDP

IAY, Mater. Nirbha,

BetiBachao

+++

Towards a gender and socially equitable budget

• Budget in keeping with constitution and legal guarantees on gender and social equity

• Redistributive taxation

• Deductions for labour elastic growth, unskilled, semi skilled, marginalised women

• Insurance and pension schemes which take into account gender issues.

Towards a gender and socially equitable budget

• Budget for marginalised women’s gender specific and transformative needs.

• Protect the existing gender specific/intensified schemes, and strengthen them from gender and social equity

• Budget for housing, land rights, social protection and care • Budget for working with men and boys on gender and

social equality; and privileged women on social equality• Budget for protecting the well being and rights of LGBTs• See women as social, economic and political agents, and

not just mothers and future mothers.

To sum up

Who cares?

Whose development

Whose deficit

Whose growth