September 03, 2007	Monday	Sha'aban 20, 1428

Experiences in different parts of the world depict a high co-relation between women participation in economic activity and the overall national economic growth. The active participation by women in any income generation activity plays more important role than men in ensuring sustainability of the economic growth rate.

Women by nature are bound to reinvest their earnings for benefit of their family in priority areas like education, health care and nutrition, which facilitates development of an effective workforce. However, despite these positive experiences in a number of countries, fiscal policies in major part of the world are rarely formulated with gender perspective.

The gender perspective has been a focal point while making analysis of micro-economic policies relating to labour in all sectors of the economy, public finance and public sector development programmes. But there are the gender-based behavioural differences which are outcomes of familial, social and economic outlook and the overall economic climate which influence macro-economy by impacting aggregate end results.

In the recent years, the high-income developing countries have initiated gender responsive economic policies and budgeting process for improving the lot of the various segments of population, particularly women who are in a disadvantaged position with regard to poverty status.

In many parts of the world, various segments of population suffer as result of ethnic, caste and class differences. Apart from that, age and geographical location has also been a factor making them impoverished. Hence, in such countries, gender responsive macro-economic policies and budgeting need to be geared to address the needs of all segments of the society.

A gender-based perspective in government budgeting is needed for ensuring that resources are allocated to eliminate the gender gap. This can be achieved through women participation in budget policy making and gender budget analysis. Various NGOs, ministry of women affairs/development working in liaison with ministries of education, health, labour and environment and women wings of chambers of commerce and industries can identify women related priority issues and can play an objective-oriented role in preparing a budget document.

The question arises as to how to go about incorporating gender into macro economic policies? Women in low income developing countries are generally deprived of education, health care, proper food and living environments and most importantly, access to countries economic resources and opportunities. It transpires from the various research studies on the issue that countries taking initiative to make education, health care and employment opportunities accessible to women, could achieve much faster economic growth rate and are likely to achieve poverty reduction target by 2015.

In South East Asian countries where growth of export oriented products and manufacturing units and abrupt expansion of their export trade particularly of textile, apparel and designer cloth items has led to sharp increase in women employment and self-employment opportunities.

Similarly in African countries like Sudan, Egypt, Morocco and South Africa, women’s increasing participation in medium and large scale industries, particularly of oil industry have boosted export trade and thus enhanced economic well-being of the people of their countries.

In Pakistan, the government policy to provide women greater access to legislature process by enhancing manifold women seats in Assemblies and Senate and giving them access to all civil and armed forces services, capital and financial markets is a step forward for political and economic empowerment of women. This, in the course of time, would give women an upper hand in the management of household resources leading to more investment in education of children, cutting down expenses on luxuries and resorting to savings and assets building for the family, which, in turn, will culminate into development of human capital at a faster rate and higher savings and investments rate in aggregate, which is most important indicator of macro economic stability.

But for Pakistan, the time frame to reach this level of gender parity and well-being of nation as a whole is unpredictable in view of lethargic attitude of establishment to implement policies and programmes and most importantly low female literacy, non-availability of even subsistence level food and health care facilities for 70 per cent of female population, which prevent them from taking advantage of improved macro economic and structural policies.

Gender responsive budgeting and development plans are now being manifested in various forms. Countries in South Asia including Pakistan should opt for preparing a separate document by all ministries assessing implications of government’s all affirmative steps to remove gender disparities, which are presented along with national/provincial budgets.

Apart from making allocation for all social sector related needs of female population, tax concession, allocation of certain percentage of jobs in all types of services over and above which are available on merit without any gender discrimination, allowing incentives both in cash and kind to girls enrolling at all levels of education, putting in place policy for preferential policy for delivery of micro loans to women, allocating land for exclusive industrial area for women owned small, medium and large scale industries, inclusion of business women in all trade delegations going abroad to participate in exhibitions and conferences are some examples of gender responsive economic policies and budgeting achieved through exclusive need assessment of women in all socio-economic areas.

The gender-budgeting process can also take the form of formal budget recommendations from various non -government and trade bodies like chambers of commerce and industry (working with a mission to reduce gender inequalities with regard to rights, resources and voice), which are incorporated in budget document.

In countries like India, Mexico and South Africa etc, researchers systematically proceed to assess budget programme of their countries to establish whether it adequately addresses the women needs and reduces gender disparity. Accordingly these countries have made headway towards gender responsive budgeting and developing country like India is now speedily nearing women empowerment and gender parity target. Major driving force behind Indian government initiatives is to remove gender disparity and ensure participation of women parliamentarians in assemblies who identify areas of priorities, where required amount of budgetary allocations are to be made.

In Pakistan’s scenario, subdued performance of majority of women parliamentarians who occupy reserved seats in all houses of parliament have failed to inject required initiative on the part of parliament as a whole to take up gender responsive development programmes and budgeting by at all tiers of the government.

The ministry of Women Development (MWD) needs to have interaction with each federal ministry to enable each ministry to formulate development plans for gender equity. The ministry should ensure incorporation of women-friendly development projects, recommended by various ministries and make the allocation of required funds. The MWD should strengthen its monitoring role (as a watch dog) relating to women issues/policies and projects.