The Link Between Gender
Budgeting & Policy
Objectives
Country Example: Sweden
Elisabeth White
Division for Gender Equality
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Ministry of Employment

National Gender Equality Policy Goals
Overarching goal:
• Women and men are to have the same power
to shape society and their own lives
Six sub-goals:
• Equal division of power and influence
• Economic gender equality
• Gender-equal education
• Equal distribution of unpaid housework and
provision of care
• Gender-equal health
• Men's violence against women must stop
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Gender Mainstreaming
• Government’s main strategy to achieve the
national gender equality policy goals since 1994
• All Ministers responsible for gender equality
• “Dual approach” - gender mainstreaming
combined with structural reforms/special
measures
• Government Decision – governs GM-work in
the Government Offices (current 2021-2025)
• Includes Gender Budgeting
Ministry of Employment 3

Gender Budgeting in the National Budget
• A gender lens should be applied
throughout the budget process;
directives in the budget circular
• Ex-ante gender equality impact
assessment of policy proposals at
drafting stage; policy designed
and implemented with a gender
perspective
• Gender budgeting for more
efficient policy and better use of
resources
Ministry of Employment 4

• Ex-ante gender equality impact assessment of
policy proposals at drafting stage
• Gender equality analysis when policy results
are presented in the Budget Bill
• Gender equality analysis when new policy is
presented in the Budget Bill
• All statistics on individuals must be
disaggregated by sex
• Revision of indicators and development of new
indicators with a gender lens, if needed
Gender Budgeting – the Budget Circular
Ministry of Employment 5

Analytical Tool – BUDGe
Ministry of Employment 6

Monitoring and Follow-Ups of Sweden’s
Gender Equality Policy Objectives
• Policy goals + 170 indicators
monitored and published by
Statistics Sweden
• A selections of indicators are
presented annually in the Budget
Bill
• Yearly appendix to the Budget Bill
on Economic Gender Equality
• Appendixes to the Spring Budget
Bill on Gender Equality measures
and progress in 2018 and 2021
• National Gender Equality Agency
follow-up, analyse & evaluate
measures
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Ministry of Employment

Thank You!
Elisabeth White
Division for Gender Equality
Ministry of Employment
elisabeth.white@gov.se
Phone: +46 8- 405 88 12
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