The existing mindset needs to be changed for effective implementation of gender budgeting and ensuring gender equality in the country, economists said in Dhaka yesterday.
They said the national budget does not contain sufficient statistics about the expenditure on women, resulting in failure of desired results.
The economists were speaking at a book publication ceremony in Dhaka.
Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Research Director Fahmida Khatun authored the book in Bangla titled
“Bangladesher Orthoniti: Vitor ebong Bahir (Bangladesh Economy: Ins and Outs)” that consists of published articles on different dailies.
Former adviser to a caretaker government Dr Akbar Ali Khan, CPD Chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan, Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi, former finance adviser to a caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam and eminent rights activist Khushi Kabir, among others, spoke at the function.
Akbar Ali Khan said the book rightly points out about the gender budgeting, which requires much attention for securing gender equality in public resource allocations.
“The mindset of the society needs to change for better management of gender budgeting,” he said, adding that, in many projects, equal expenditure of allocation for male and female is written but no specific policy has been taken for implementing them.
“If we look at the national income account, contribution of female is not recognised at all as most women are engaged with the non-market activities that are not included in the national output,” he said.
He said, in Bangladesh, woman is in top position at the administration but women’s presence in every layer of the society is important to ensure equality.
However, it has started from grass root level as seen in microcredit sector, where most borrower are women, he said.
“To get the desired result of gender budgeting, problems should be identified.”
The government had initiated gender budgeting in the fiscal 2005-06 for four ministries. As part of the process, the government added 15 more ministries in the current budget, raising the total number of ministries executing gender-related projects to 40.
In the budget for FY2013-14, budgetary allocation in various projects for women has increased to 27.68% from 26.26% a year earlier.
