THE SCOTTISH EXPERIENCE OF PROMOTING GENDER-SENSITIVE BUDGETING Rona Fitzgerald, EOC Scotland and SWBG and Morag Gillespie SLPU/Glasgow Caledonian SWBG

Women embracing change The Scottish experience of promoting gender-sensitive budgeting occurs against a background of significant institutional and policy changes. Devolved Scottish Parliament in May passes legislation and scrutinises the work of the Scottish Executive

Women embracing change The establishment of the Parliament and Executive represented a window of opportunity for the women’s lobby. The absence of a stated political commitment to gender in election manifestos suggests that the promotion of gender balance and mainstreaming in Scotland can be directly attributed to the lobbying and participation of women’s groups throughout the process towards devolution.

Women embracing change In addition, there was considerable push from external forces UK – work of WEU, CEDAW commitments, example of WBG engagement with policy makers and HMT EU – provision for mainstreaming gender equality in Structural Funds in period

Progress towards a gender sensitive budget/spending review The Equality Strategy of the Scottish Executive (Nov 2000) outlined a commitment to; ‘assess the equality impact of spending plans and decisions as part of the mainstreaming agenda’ EPBAG Equality proofing Advisory Group set up in 1999 linking the Executive – Equality Unit and Finance Department, statutory equality bodies and EWBG/SWBG Commissioned research on budget process and intervention points for linking policy and spend

Progress towards a gender sensitive budget/spending review No examples to date of actual policy shifts Actual budget remains gender neutral - blind! However Embracing change Greater transparency - “Understanding the Budget Process” Greater participation - forging new partnerships

Governing Principles Transparency Participation Sustainability Long Term Strategy Country Ownership

Transparency and Participation Promoting transparent annual budgeting - public consultation key and SWBG have used this process to promote gender analysis of Scottish spending plans Equality Proofing Budgets Advisory Group ‘Equality proofing the Scottish Budget is the mechanism for linking the mainstreaming of equality in the policy process with the appropriate distribution of resources’ Statutory equality bodies and SWBG meet with Equality Unit, Senior Finance officers

Sustainable and Long Term Strategy? Focus on the budget and sectoral areas - linking gender impact analysis with gender budget analysis Build on current developments with respect to mainstreaming agenda - pilot of equality mainstreaming in education and housing Pilot in Health proposed on gendered analysis of budget - EPBAG to advise on this pilot

Levers Equality Unit Equality Proofing Budgets Advisory Group Support of the Finance Department Knowledge of politicians Scrutiny function of Parliament

Key Achievements Equalities Statement in Equality Unit Annual Report Finance Dept Guidelines to Sectoral Departments Pilot of tools - Gender in Health Spending Definition of ‘Equality Proofing the Budget’ Capacity building within the Parliamentary Committees

Barriers/ Next steps Not a GBI yet Gender v Equalities Building capacity Democratising the process Reviewing SWBG role