gender manual 30-08-05 - united nations development ......published by the ministry of women, family...

Kementerian PembangunanWanita, Keluarga dan MasyarakatMinistry of Women, Family and Community Development

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MANUAL ON GENDER BUDGETINGIN MALAYSIA

Kementerian PembangunanWanita, Keluarga dan MasyarakatMinistry of Women, Family and Community Development

Published by the Ministry of Women, Family and Community DevelopmentLevel 1–5, Block E, Bukit Perdana Government Office Complex, Jalan Dato’ Onn, 50515 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Tel: 03 2693 0095 Fax: 03 2698 5982Website: www.kpwkm.gov.my

With funding support fromUnited Nations Development ProgrammeMalaysiawww.undp.org.my

ISBN 983-41432-2-2

© MWFCD 2005. All rights reserved. First published 2005

All rights reserved. Enquiries concerning reproduction or translation of thecontents of this publication should be directed to the Ministry of Women,Family and Community Development.

Designed and printed in Malaysia byThumb-Print Studio Sdn Bhd www.thumbprint.com.my

Iwelcome and value the gender budget initiative as a concrete and specific measure thatadvances the vital principle of gender mainstreaming within government. We are at ajuncture in our country’s development where women constitute half our population andare already the majority in many of our institutions of higher learning. We cannot afford to

lose this valuable resource through either gender injustice or gender inequities in the system.Moreover, any discrimination against women is an obstacle not only to economicgrowth but also to human development in general.

We note that the gender budget initiative does not benefit women alone. Byviewing the budget through the gender prism, the differentiated needs of everyone—women, men, girls and boys—are taken into consideration. Gender budgetinggives us the techniques and mechanisms that reveal gender bias or gaps in ourbudget allocations. Through such analysis, we are able to narrow existing disparitiesand reorient public expenditure to reflect the concerns of all citizens. This in turnallows for the fullest utilization of our country’s human resources—a vitalprerequisite if we are to realize our stated goal of achieving developed nation statusby 2020. Globalization gives urgency to this goal. We cannot afford to exclude ormarginalize any segment of the population in the drive to be competitive and tomeet the challenges of this era.

This manual is therefore an invaluable tool for all ministries in the preparation oftheir budget statements. The practical and helpful procedures outlined within arebased on the Gender Budget Pilot Project of 2003 and have been streamlined andadapted to the Malaysian situation. It is particularly gratifying to note that our existing budgetformats can be easily converted to incorporate the work of gender budgeting. I urge allministries to make immediate use of this manual and the assistance and training available

Foreword by thePrime Minister

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Foreword by the Prime Minister

through Institut Tadbiran Awam Negara (INTAN) and the Ministry of Women, Family andCommunity Development. By producing gender-sensitive budget submissions, they assist thework of the Economic Planning Unit, the Finance Ministry, and their own agencies in their taskof prioritizing, planning, and monitoring budget allocations according to the needs of womenand men, girls and boys.

I commend and thank the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development fortaking the lead in implementing the gender budget initiative. With the successfulimplementation of the pilot project, we are confident of rolling out this important innovationto other ministries and agencies.

In conclusion, I would like to express my particular appreciation to the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP) for their technical assistance in this venture as well as theMinistry of Finance and the Economic Planning Unit for their valuable contributions to thegender budget initiative.

DATO’ SERI ABDULLAH HAJI AHMAD BADAWIPrime Minister of Malaysia

December 2005

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Foreword by the Minister of Women,Family and Community Development

Malaysia’s adoption of the gender budget initiative is an affirmation of thegovernment’s political will and commitment to women’s issues. In recent years,this commitment has resulted in various measures such as laws, policies, andactivities that have advanced the cause of gender equity. Not least of these was

the establishment of a full-fledged Ministry of Women, Family and Community Developmentin 2001 as part of the efforts to strengthen the national machinery for theadvancement of gender equality.

One of the ministry’s primary objectives is to ensure that the variousperspectives of gender are integrated into the formulation of national policies fromthe planning to the implementation stage. We believe the gender budget initiativewill help us achieve this objective as it focuses directly on the national budget—themost important policy statement of a government. Gender budgeting techniquesenable budget planners to produce gender-sensitive budget submissions. As anadded advantage, the techniques and procedures used also provide thegovernment with the means of monitoring and evaluating its stated objective ofachieving gender equality.

The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development is pleased to beat the forefront of a development that will have a constructive and beneficial impacton the lives of the women, men, boys, and girls in this country. We are also proud tobe among the few countries in the world, both developed and developing, toespouse this relatively new concept and procedure and incorporate it within their standardprocedures. Not only does this indicate the sincerity of our commitment to the humandevelopment of all Malaysians, it also demonstrates the seriousness of our commitment tointernational instruments such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

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Foreword by the Minister of Women, Family and Community Development

This initiative has come a long way in a short time, from the exploratory missions of 2001to actual implementation of gender budgeting. This would not have been possible without theconstructive input of the parties involved in this undertaking. I would therefore like to expressmy deep appreciation to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and inparticular, Ms Debbie Budlender, for the technical assistance provided to get this venture offthe ground. I would also like to thank the Steering Committee, drawn from the Ministry ofFinance, the Economic Planning Unit, the Implementation and Coordination Unit, and InstitutTadbiran Awam Negara (INTAN), for their cooperation and support. Finally, I wish to thank theMinistries of Education and Higher Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of HumanResources, and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development for their participation in theGender Budget Pilot Project of 2003 which started the implementation phase of this importantinitiative.

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DATO’ SRI SHAHRIZAT ABDUL JALILMinister of Women, Family and Community Development

December 2005

Foreword by the UNDP Resident Representativefor Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam

Iwould like to begin by commending the Ministry of Women, Family and CommunityDevelopment (MWFCD) for its outstanding leadership and active promotion of genderissues which have raised the profile and advanced the cause of women in Malaysia and theregion. The recent establishment of the NAM Centre of Gender and Development, an

international institution dedicated to women’s development and empowerment, is the latestin a line of important contributions made by the MWFCD to gender equality.

I welcome the successful implementation of the gender budget pilot project inMalaysia and the publication of this manual. The United Nations DevelopmentProgramme (UNDP) is pleased to have partnered the MWFCD in the gender budgetinitiative in Malaysia as the primary goal of gender budgeting—to achieve genderequality by allocating resources equitably to satisfy different needs—is compatiblewith the fundamental human right of equality and non-discrimination which theUNDP, as well as the entire UN system, champions.

Malaysia has made considerable progress towards achieving gender equalityand women’s empowerment. All girls are enrolled in primary school, and theirsecondary and tertiary enrolment rates are higher than those of boys. Furthermore,indicators of the health status of women are exemplary. Child mortality andmaternal health have recorded reductions to levels that are not only exceptionallylow in the region but almost similar to those of many more developed countries.

However, despite their high education and improved health status, Malaysianwomen are still under-represented in the job market with the female labour force participationrate remaining at approximately 47 per cent throughout much of the last thirty-five years. Thisis in sharp contrast to the neighbouring countries of Thailand, Singapore, and BruneiDarussalam, where the corresponding figures are 71 per cent, 63 per cent, and 60 per centrespectively. If Malaysian women were to participate in the labour force at the same rate as theirThai and Singaporean counterparts, there would be respectively 1.6 million and 1 million more

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Foreword by the UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam

women available for work. It is hoped that the practical procedures and concrete proposalsoutlined in this manual will help to raise the female labour force participation rate in Malaysiaand lessen the country’s dependence on foreign workers as it progresses towards Vision 2020and its goal of becoming a developed, resilient, and competitive economy, fully equipped toface the challenges of the new era.

I would like, in conclusion, to congratulate the MWFCD on its excellent stewardship of thegender budget initiative which has led to Malaysia assuming a pioneering role in this relativelynew area, being one of only a select group of countries to have carried the GRB conceptthrough from conceptualization to piloting to successful implementation. I would also like tothank all those who participated in the pilot project and contributed to the preparation of thismanual. Although the guidelines and procedures contained in the manual are based on theMalaysian experience, I hope that countries contemplating work on gender-responsivebudgets will nevertheless be able to find something of interest and value to them.

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DR RICHARD LEETEUNDP Resident Representativefor Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam

December 2005

ContentsForeword by the Prime Minister ........ iiiForeword by the Minister of Women, Family and

Community Development ........ vForeword by the UNDP Resident Representative

for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam ........ vii

Introduction ........ 1

1 Gender Budgeting in Malaysia ........ 3History of gender budgeting in MalaysiaRole of the MWFCDReasons for implementing GRB in MalaysiaThe gender budget pilot project in Malaysia

2 What is Gender Budgeting? ........ 9Definitions of gender budgetingBenefits of gender budgeting

3 Understanding Gender Concepts ........ 12

4 Carrying Out Gender Budget Analysis ........ 14The three categories of expenditure approachThe five-step approachType of data required for effective gender budget analysisExamples of gender-disaggregated data

5 Making the Malaysian Budget Formats Gender-Sensitive ........ 21The scope of the workThe operating budget

Gender-disaggregated data for the operating budgetThe development budget

Gender-disaggregated data for the development budget

6 Frequently Asked Questions About Gender Budgeting ........ 34

Abbreviations ........ 38

Gender budgeting is a relatively new develop-ment concept that seeks to include a genderperspective in the national budget. A gender-responsive budget (GRB) addresses the needsand interests of different groups of citizens—women and men, girls and boys—and aims toallocate government resources in an equi-table way so that the most pressing needs ofindividuals and groups are satisfied.

The term ‘gender budgeting’ is usedbroadly in this manual to refer to all GRBinitiatives. These initiatives are sometimesknown by different names—’gender budgetwork’, ‘gender-sensitive budget’, and ‘genderbudget analysis’—but in essence they refer tothe same concept.

In 1995, only a few countries and agencieswere involved in gender budgeting. Today,some form of gender budget work has beenimplemented in over 60 countries worldwide.

The GRB initiative in Malaysia (also knownas the Gender Budget Analysis Project) isspearheaded by the Ministry of Women, Familyand Community Development (MWFCD) withfinancial and technical assistance provided bythe United Nations Development Programme(UNDP). Gender budget work is seen as apractical way of taking forward gender main-streaming in all aspects of national develop-ment, including policy, planning, and budgeting.

Recognizing that adaptation to localcontexts and needs is necessary to ensurerelevance and sustainability, the GenderBudget Analysis Project has concentrated onmaking the Malaysian budget process—anadvanced form of performance budgeting—gender-sensitive. The Programme Agreement(ABM-2) submitted by government agenciesto the Ministry of Finance to request for theiroperating expenditures has been the mainfocus of engendering the budget process. Theproject has adopted a pilot approach acrossselected ministries and programmes with aview to perfecting the methodology ofgender budgeting before extending it to therest of government.

The pilot ministries—the Ministry ofEducation (later split into the Ministry ofEducation and the Ministry of Higher Edu-cation), the Ministry of Health, the Ministry ofHuman Resources, and the Ministry of RuralDevelopment (later renamed the Ministry ofRural and Regional Development)—all haverelatively large budgets and span both theeconomic and social sectors. The programmesselected were drawn from both the operatingand development budgets so as to test theapplication of the approach across both.

Training is a core element of the GenderBudget Analysis Project as gender analysis

Introduction

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skills are essential if budget officers are toproduce meaningful gender-sensitive budgetstatements. To build up a pool of local genderbudget experts, a series of training workshopshave been conducted for budget officers fromthe pilot ministries, as well as officers from theMinistry of Finance, Institut Tadbiran AwamNegara (INTAN), the Economic Planning Unit(EPU), and the Implementation and Coord-ination Unit (ICU).

This manual is designed to be used bythese officers as a source of reference and alsoas a practical guide to training other officerswhen gender budgeting is extended to therest of government. It consists of six parts:PART 1: Gender Budgeting in Malaysiaprovides the background to gender budgetwork in Malaysia and briefly describes the pilotproject.PART 2: What is Gender Budgeting?discusses the definitions of gender budgetingand its benefits in general terms.

PART 3: Understanding Gender Conceptsexplains in simple terms some of the commonconcepts used in talking about gender andbudgets.PART 4: Carrying Out Gender BudgetAnalysis provides guidance on how to carryout gender budget analysis—the heart ofgender budget work—and discusses the typeof data required for effective analysis.PART 5: Making the Malaysian BudgetFormats Gender-Sensitive describes thework of the pilot ministries in adapting thestandard Malaysian budget formats to reflectgender with examples drawn from both theoperating and development budgets.PART 6: Frequently Asked QuestionsAbout Gender Budgeting (FAQs) providesquick answers to some FAQs about genderbudgeting.

A list of abbreviations, together with theirmeanings, is given at the end of the manual.

Manual on Gender Budgeting in Malaysia

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History of gender budgeting inMalaysiaGender budgeting in Malaysia had itsbeginnings in 2000 when the then PrimeMinister spoke about gender budget work inhis address to the Regional SteeringCommittee of Women in Asia-Pacific. The Prime Minister had heardabout the gender budget workbeing done in other countries in theCommonwealth and elsewhere, andwas aware that gender budget workwas a good and practical way oftaking forward gender main-streaming within government. Notonly can gender-responsive budgets(GRBs) help governments to upholdtheir commitments in economicdevelopment and poverty reductionbut they can also assist them inmonitoring and evaluating the genderimpacts of policies and programmes.

In addition, GRBs enhancegovernance by encouraging ac-countability, participation, andtransparency. Furthermore, theGovernment of Malaysia has alwaysstressed the importance ofincorporating gender perspectivesinto its development planning and

allocation of resources. For example, theNational Policy on Women, 1989 notes the need for information on target clientele to be‘gender categorized to enable appropriateassessment’ (see Box 1).

Gender Budgeting in Malaysia1

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BOX 1 Extracts from Malaysia’s National Policy on Women, 1989

The following parts of Malaysia’s National Policy on Women support the need for gender budget work:

3.1 Major principles and guidelines of the Policy include the following:

(h) That information on target clientele and the impact of development programmes shall begender categorized to enable appropriate assessment.

4.1 In order to assist planners and implementers of development policy, the following strategies shall bedeveloped to ensure the efficiency, effectiveness, coordination and standardization of policy and action: ...

(c) Planning for the distribution of resources to the various sectors that are implementingprogrammes pertaining to women’s issues ...

5 (b) In the formulation of policy, legislation, regulations and programmes by any sector or agency,consideration must be given to ascertain its impact, contributions and implications for women; its negative impact and effects shall be avoided. A comprehensive system for coordinating andmonitoring of programmes shall be created to prevent negative effects as well as to identifyobstacles and constraints to women’s participation, whether this be from the legal perspectives orin practice, so that appropriate action can be taken to alleviate them.

5 (f) ... the government shall ensure that all data collection by various sectors and agencies aredisaggregated according to gender so that women’s needs can be identified for more accuratepolicy, programmes and project formulation.

5 (g) The government shall ensure that the Ministries and Agencies concerned utilize the approvedallocations and adjust these allocations accordingly to meet the needs of programmes forwomen in development.


Role of the MWFCDIn 2001, the Government of Malaysia estab-lished a new ministry, the Ministry of Womenand Family Development (MWFD), which wasrenamed the Ministry of Women, Family andCommunity Development (MWFCD) in March2004, when it was given a new portfolio. Likewomen’s ministries in other countries, theMWFCD is responsible for promoting genderequity and women’s development through-out government. (See Part 3 for an expla-

nation of gender terms.) The ministry thus hasa central role to play in taking forward thewomen and development objectives of theEighth Malaysia Plan, the gender equalitycommitments in the Federal Constitution,and the gender equality resolutions ininternational agreements such as the Con-vention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW). (SeeBox 2.)

BOX 2 What is CEDAW?The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is one of the best-known of the internationalinstruments to achieve gender equality. Most countries in the world have ratified CEDAW. Malaysia ratified CEDAW in 1995 and hassubmitted a combined first and second report on what the country is doing to reach its goals.

CEDAW has 16 articles and two general recommendations. They cover all aspects of life, as follows:• Article 1: Definition of discrimination against women • Article 9: Nationality• Article 2: Obligations to eliminate discrimination • Article 10: Education• Article 3: Development and advancement of women • Article 11: Employment• Article 4: Acceleration of equality between men and women • Article 12: Equality in access to health care• Article 5: Sex roles and stereotyping • Article 13: Social and economic benefits• Article 6: Suppression of the exploitation of women • Article 14: Special help for rural women• Article 7: Political and public life • Article 15: Equality before the law and in civil matters• Article 8: International representation and participation • Article 16: Equality in marriage and family law

Recommendations 12 and 19 both deal with violence against women.Government programmes and their associated budgets are an important way of fulfilling CEDAW’s requirements.

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The MWFCD is a small ministry withlimited resources. However, it is not meant totackle gender issues alone. Its main role is toassist the rest of government to become moregender-sensitive in its work. To this end, itworks with other ministries and agencies tohelp them ensure that their work promotesequality between women and men. Thus onhealth issues, the MWFCD works with andthrough the Ministry of Health (MOH); oneducation issues, through the Ministry ofEducation (MOE); and on finance and relatedissues, through agencies such as the Ministryof Finance (MOF), the Economic Planning Unit(EPU), and the Implementation andCoordination Unit (ICU).

Reasons for implementingGRB in MalaysiaAlthough gender budget work is newto Malaysia, it fits in well with thegovernment’s overall approach.Firstly, gender budget work aims to utilize the country’s humanresources fully. It does so by promot-ing women’s participation in, andcontribution to, economic and sociallife. Secondly, gender budget workhelps to use the country’s financialresources well by matching budgets

to plans, priority programmes, and projects. Itis only by using the people and resources ofthe country to their full potential thatMalaysia will be able to achieve the goals ofVision 2020. Thirdly, a gender-responsivebudget helps the government to improve (a)prioritization, (b) planning, (c) managementof implementation, (d) monitoring andevaluation, and (e) impact assessment. (SeeFigure 1.)

Gender Budgeting in Malaysia

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GENDER-RESPONSIVE

BUDGET

Prioritizes needs/allocation of resources

Manages implementation

Assists in impactassessment

Enhancesauditing

Monitors &evaluates policy

Promotes equity

Assists planning

Utilizes humanresources to theirfull potential

Figure 1 Uses of a gender-responsive budget

Furthermore, the government realizedthat Malaysia is an ideal country for doinggender budget work:

• Malaysia already has a well-developedsystem of budgeting. The gender budgetbuilds on this foundation and provides addedvalue to the results-oriented approach. (SeePart 5, which describes how to build genderinto the existing budget formats.)

• The EPU, MOF, and ICU are moving towardsapproaches that focus more on longer-term planning and budgeting, policyanalysis, and assessment, rather thanroutine year-by-year financial monitoring.This is clearly reflected in the Third OutlinePerspective Plan (OPP3) 2001–2010, whichcovers the second decade of developmentunder Vision 2020. The gender budget workadds value to this aspect.

• The Malaysian government has muchmore control over its budget than manyother countries that have tried to dogender budget work. For example, Malaysiahas good control over the balance betweenrevenue and expenditure. Also, donorcountries have very little influence over thecountry’s budget. This means that thegovernment has a lot of freedom to decidewhere and how to use its resources.

Thus on 27 November 2002, the Malaysian

Cabinet approved the idea of taking genderbudget work forward in Malaysia. On 22 April2003, the EPU approved the project documentfor a gender budget pilot project in Malaysialed by the MWFCD in partnership with theUNDP which would provide financial andtechnical assistance.

The gender budget pilot project inMalaysiaAlthough more than 60 countries in the worldhave engaged in some sort of gender budgetwork, none of these could provide the ‘recipe’for how to implement gender budgeting inMalaysia. Firstly, not all of the other genderbudget initiatives are inside government.Secondly, even where they are inside govern-ment, there are differences in the waygovernment works in these countries. Inparticular, there are differences in the approachand format for budgeting. Recognizing thateach context is unique, Malaysia has learnt fromthe experience of other countries but hasfocused on developing its own specificapproach adapted to how government worksin this country.

Since Malaysia already has a results-oriented budget format that provides formost of the components required in a genderbudget such as a description of the objective,


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needs analysis, clients, output specification,impact, and evaluation, it was proposed thatthe gender perspectives be incorporatedwithin the existing programme agreementproposal format (ABM-2) rather thanproduced as a separate format. This wouldentail only a slight revision of the existingprocedures and formats.

Gender budget work in Malaysia beganwith a pilot project in four ministries andselected programmes within these ministriesto allow the Malaysian approach to be testedand refined before being extended to the restof government. The pilot ministries wereEducation, Health, Human Resources, andRural Development. (In March 2004, theMinistry of Education was divided into two—Education and Higher Education, and theMinistry of Rural Development became theMinistry of Rural and Regional Development.However, because most of the pilot genderbudget work was done before the split, thismanual still uses the old names for these twoministries for some programmes.)

The pilot ministries were chosen so as toprovide a good test of the approach. The four(now five) ministries come from both the

economic and social sectors and all haverelatively large budgets. Another reason forchoosing these ministries—particularly theMinistry of Rural Development—was their focuson low-income people in the rural areas.Gender budget work looks not only atdifferences between women and men, girls andboys but also at other forms of disadvantageand difference, and income is one of the mostimportant determinants of disadvantage.

The MWFCD and the UNDP put together ateam to assist the pilot ministries in their genderbudget work. During July 2003, this team metwith each of the ministries to decide whichprogrammes they would focus on for the pilot.The programmes were to be drawn from boththe operating and development budgets inorder to test the application of the approachacross both. Table 1 shows the programmesand projects selected by the pilot ministries.

The selected programmes reflected theMalaysian government’s serious interest inpromoting the development of its people. Forexample, the programmes cover a wide rangeof educational and training programmes fromprimary school up to university, includingvocational training.

Gender Budgeting in Malaysia


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Table 1 Pilot ministries and programmes selected

Ministry Operating Development

Ministry of Primary education ~ Boarding schoolsEducation (MOE) ~ Matriculation colleges

~ Special vocational education secondary schools

Ministry of Higher Selected universities ~ Universiti Teknologi MARA campus, PahangEducation (MOHE) ~ KUSTEM residential facilities

~ Car park, Universiti Teknologi MARA campus, Shah Alam

Ministry of Health Orthopaedic ~ Upgrading of hospitals(MOH) Family health development ~ Rural health facilities

~ Urban health facilities

Ministry of Human Manpower department ~ ILP Selandar, MelakaResources (MHR) ~ ILP Selangor

Ministry of Rural Community development ~ Housing aid for the poorand Regional Child development ~ Mental developmentDevelopment (MRRD) ~ Income improvement

What is Gender Budgeting?2

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Gender budgeting is about incorporating agender perspective into the national budgetto enable a government to decide on howpolicies and priorities should be revised—andwhat resources are needed—to achieve thegoal of gender equality. The budget is thegovernment’s most important economicpolicy tool and reflects its social andeconomic priorities. It is crucial to thesuccessful implementation of any policybecause without the allocation of adequatefinancial resources, no policies, programmes,or projects can be carried out.

Definitions of gender budgeting1 Gender budget work aims to make the

budget gender-responsiveThe term ‘gender budget’ sometimes con-fuses people because it makes them think thatgender budget work is about a separatebudget for women and men. This is not thecase. Instead, gender budget work looks at theimpact of every part of the budget on womenand men, girls and boys.

Gender budget work recognizes that allbudgets do, or must, deliver services to meetthe needs of all female and male citizens in acountry. However, in many cases, the budgetsdo this unconsciously, because planners and

budget officers assume that there are nodifferences between females and males.Gender budget work consciously takes note ofthe differences in situations, roles, contri-butions, and needs of women and men, girlsand boys and ‘responds’ accordingly, hencethe term ‘gender-responsive budget’.

2 Gender budget work distinguishesbetween gender and sex

As stated above, gender budget analysis looksat the impact of the government budget onwomen and men, girls and boys. However, itdoes this on the basis of gender as well as sexdifferences.

Sex is about biological differences.People are born male or female. With very fewexceptions, they remain male or femalethroughout their lives in terms of theirbiological make-up. However, once born,people are socialized to fit in with whatsociety sees as appropriate roles for them aswomen and men. These roles are based ongender rather than sex.

So, while a woman in one country willbiologically be similar to a woman in any othercountry, socially (in terms of gender), she maybe different. Similarly, a woman in the year2005 will be similar biologically to her great-

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grandmother of a century ago but she will bedifferent from the latter in terms of roles andresponsibilities and how she lives her life.

Table 2 summarizes the differences be-tween sex and gender.

3 Gender budget work is not about 50–50 Because women and men, girls and boys aredifferent, it is not the aim of gender budgetwork that every ministry’s budget be divided50–50 between males and females. Instead,the aim is to meet the different needs of malesand females as equitably (fairly) as possible sothat everyone can reach their full potential.Gender budget work is thus about equity,

rather than simple equality. (See Part 3.)For example, in health, women and men

are equally prone to illnesses and ailments.However, in addition to these ‘gender-neutral’health needs, women have more reproductivehealth-related needs than men because oftheir role in bearing children. So a healthbudget of which only 50 per cent is spent onwomen discriminates against women in termsof their needs. A 50–50 division in healthharms the women who are denied access toservices. A 50–50 division also harms societyas a whole because childbearing will nothappen in an efficient and effective way.

4 Gender budget work takesunpaid labour into account

Gender budget work checks thatpolicy and budgets address the rolesand responsibilities of women andmen, girls and boys in society. Theseroles and responsibilities may differfrom country to country. However, invirtually every country, women bearmuch more responsibility than menfor childbearing, childrearing, andlooking after children, sick people, oldpeople, and others needing care. Thiswork is sometimes referred to as‘reproductive work’. It is often also

Table 2 Differences between sex and gender

Sex (Biological differences)

1 Because we are born female or male, it isdifficult to change sex-related differences.

2 Sex differences are not affected by historyor culture.

3 Policies respond to sex differences only in matters concerning the physical body (e.g. childbearing and prostate disease).

Gender (Social differences)

Because our gender identity is determined by society,it is possible to change gender-based differences.

Gender roles can change in different societies and atdifferent times in history.

Policies can either respond to gender stereotypes andtraditional gender roles (e.g. assuming that only menare heads of households) or attempt to change them(e.g. taking into account the barriers to women andgirls participating in non-traditional training courses).


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What is Gender Budgeting?

known as ‘unpaid labour’ because most of thework is unpaid.

Because this work is usually unpaid, it isnot counted and included in the grossdomestic product (GDP). Consequently, plan-ners and budget officers often do not take itinto account because they think it does notaffect the economy and society.

However, unless this reproductive workhappens efficiently and effectively, we willhave poor human resources in the country.This will affect economic growth and the well-being of citizens. Gender budget worktherefore emphasizes that policy makers mustthink about unpaid labour, and about howprogrammes and budgets can deal with iteffectively and efficiently. Policy makers mustalso make sure that the burden of unpaidwork is not preventing people (mainlywomen) from contributing economically andsocially in other ways.

Benefits of gender budgetingThe increasing popularity of gender budgetingtestifies to the varied purposes it serves.Among others, a gender-responsive budget

• supports gender mainstreaming, currentlythe main international approach to pro-moting equality between women andmen

• improves the allocation of resources tothose who need them most

• strengthens the linkages between eco-nomic and social policy outcomes

• tracks public expenditure against genderand development policy commitments

• encourages civil society participation ineconomic policy making

• helps the government to comply withnational and international gender equalitycommitments (such as national genderpolicies and CEDAW) and

• contributes to the attainment of theMillennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Understanding Gender Concepts

FeminismFeminism is a social movement that questionsgender inequalities and tries to change them.Feminism is not about focusing only on women.

Gender vs sexGender refers to the social differencesbetween men and women, girls and boys. It iswhat society tells men and women, girls andboys from different social groups about theirroles and responsibilities.Sex refers to the biological differencesbetween males and females. Sex is fixed anddoes not change over time, across countries,and across cultures.

Gender analysisGender analysis is the process of analysingthe different situations of women and men,girls and boys and the relations betweenthem with the objective of fulfilling theirspecific needs and achieving gender equality.Gender analysis also considers other socio-economic divisions, such as rich and poor,urban and rural, educated and less educated,and how these affect the relations betweenwomen and men.

Gender-blind vs gender-neutralA gender-blind policy ignores the differentsituations, roles, needs, and interests ofwomen, men, girls, and boys.A gender-neutral policy is not affected by,and does not affect, the different situations,roles, needs, and interests of women, men,girls, and boys. In reality, very few policies aregender-neutral. When policy makers claim apolicy is gender-neutral, they are usuallybeing gender-blind!

Gender equality vs gender equityGender equality is often understood asequality of opportunity. This means thatwomen and men, girls and boys are notdiscriminated against in their access toopportunities.Gender equity is about equality of outcomeor result. This is a stronger concept thanequality of opportunity. It means that womenand men, girls and boys have an equal chanceof reaching the finishing line and not just anequal chance at the starting point. Genderequity is about fairness. It takes account of thedifferent situations of women and men, girlsand boys.

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Understanding Gender Concepts

Gender-disaggregated dataGender-disaggregated data (or sex-dis-aggregated data) are data that show thedifferences between the situations of womenand men, girls and boys. Gender-disaggregateddata are necessary for good gender analysis.

Gender division of labourGender division of labour refers to who(women or men, young or old) does what interms of different types of work, such asproductive work in factories, in offices, and onthe land; reproductive work as in cooking,cleaning, and caring for family members; andcommunity activities such as attendingmeetings.

Gender mainstreamingGender mainstreaming is an approach orstrategy which considers gender in all policies,planning, budgets, and monitoring instead ofaddressing gender as a separate issue throughseparate programmes.

Gender-sensitive / gender-responsiveA gender-sensitive (or gender-responsive)policy properly addresses the differentsituations, roles, needs, and interests ofwomen, men, girls, and boys.

Practical and strategic gender needsPractical gender needs are needs related todaily activities and responsibilities. They arelinked to helping women and men with theroles they are given by society.Strategic gender needs are needs related tochanging the relationships, roles, and respon-sibilities of women and men in society.

Carrying Out Gender Budget Analysis

Gender budget work involves two importantprocesses:1 Analysis of data in order to understand

what is happening to women and men,girls and boys in society, in policies, inbudgets, and in implementation.

2 Formulation of gender-responsive bud-gets, which involves adjusting policies,programmes, and budgets (includingimplementation where necessary) so thatthey become gender-responsive.

Because gender analysis skills areessential to producing meaningful genderbudget statements, this section will have apractical focus with tasks built in to providepractice in developing these skills.

Basically, there are two main methods forcarrying out gender budget analysis: the threecategories of expenditure approach and thefive-step approach. These two approachesmay be reconciled into a common analyticalframework.

The three categories of expenditureapproachWe can think of the budget as being made upof three slices or categories:

• Category 1: Targeted gender-basedexpenditures of government agencies.These are expenditures that are clearly

‘labelled’ as addressing gender or women’sissues. Examples include women’s healthprogrammes, special entrepreneurshipprogrammes for women, grants for singlemothers, and support for widows.

• Category 2: Equal employment opportunityexpenditure on government employees.These are expenditures that promote equalopportunity for women and men employedby government. Examples include training forwomen managers, provision of crèche facil-ities, and parental leave provisions.

• Category 3: General (mainstream) budgetexpenditure judged on its impact onwomen and men, girls and boys. Thiscovers all other expenditures of govern-ment. Analysis of this category asks ques-tions such as who needs particular services,and whom such services reach. It asks howprogrammes, projects, and the associatedbudgets take forward the government’svision of the roles women and men shouldplay in society.

The categories are useful for checking that ourgender budget analysis looks at the bulk ofthe cake, rather than focusing on crumbs. It isuseful for checking that we are promotinggender mainstreaming. (See Part 3.)

If the analysis focuses only on the first orsecond categories, it will have a very small

4

14

15


impact because the three slices or categoriesare of very different sizes. Gender- andwomen-specific expenditures (Category 1)may be necessary as a form of affirmativeaction to address specific disadvantages, butthey usually make up only a tiny slice of thebudget. Category 2 is usually an even smallerslice. Category 3 is about the mainstreambudget whose allocations make up more than95 per cent of any government’s budget.Unless gender budget analysis addressesCategory 3, it will miss the mark.

The five-step approachThe term ‘gender budget’ is misleading becauseit suggests that we are interested only inbudgets. In fact, gender budget work is a form ofpolicy analysis, because the budget’s mainpurpose is to implement policy. The policyanalysis focus of gender budget work is in linewith the government’s view that budgetsmust follow policy rather than vice versa.

The policy analysis of gender budgetwork involves five steps. Table 3 describeseach of these steps. The table also shows, inthe last column, how each step correspondsto a step in the budget work that budgetofficers have always done. The added value ofgender budgeting is that we do not assumethat all citizens have the same needs, or that

Task 11 Into which of the three categories would you put the following expenditures?

(a) The budget for the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development(b) The salary allocations for the Ministry of Defence(c) The budget for a nurses’ training college(d) The budget for immunization of children(e) The budget for the Ministry of Rural Development’s housewife modules(f) The budget for training workshops for officials on gender budgeting(g) The budget for maternity leave pay for teachers

2 For each of the expenditures above, what percentage of the beneficiaries is likely to be(a) male? (b) female?

Table 3 The five-step approach of gender budget analysis

Step Description of Step Budget Term

1 Describes the situation of women and men, girls and boys (and Needs/client different subgroups, such as rural/urban, age-based, etc.) in the sector. analysis

2 Assesses the policy, programmes, and projects in terms of their gender- Policy, programmesensitivity, i.e. whether they address the situation described in Step 1.

3 Assesses whether adequate financial (budgetary) and other Inputsresources (e.g. staff) are allocated to implement the gender-sensitive policy of Step 2 effectively.

4 Monitors whether the expenditure allocated in Step 3 is spent Outputsas planned.

5 Assesses whether the policy, together with the associated Impacts/Outcomes expenditure, has promoted gender equity as intended, and changedthe situation described in Step 1.

all will be affected by government pro-grammes in the same way.

Type of data required for effectivegender budget analysis Good analysis requires good data. To performthe five steps, we need to have the right typeof data. Table 4 shows the type of data weneed to analyse an education programme.

Examples of gender-disaggregateddataFor the gender budget pilot, checklistssuggesting the type of data to be collected foreach of the chosen programmes were drawnup. Some items on the checklists were forStep 1, i.e. they described the situation. Somewere for Steps 2 and 3, i.e. they described theoutputs and outcomes. Many of the itemswere found to have already appeared in therelevant agency’s ABM-2 report, e.g. in Item 12(output specification) and Item 13 (impactspecification). The important difference in thegender checklists was that the numbers weregender-disaggregated—given separately formales and females as well as the total.

Figures 2–8 show examples of gender-disaggregated data which tell us somethingthat is relevant to the work of the four pilotministries, among others.


16

Table 4 Data for analysing an education programme

Step Type of Data Required

1 • Number of males and females who lack education• Information on how education would help these people

2 • Times at which the males and females lacking education are able to attend courses• Venues which would be convenient for them• Information on whether these people can pay for the courses

3 • Amount of money allocated for the programme• Number of staff (male and female) assigned to coordinate the programme and conduct

the courses

4 • Number of males and females who attended the courses• Number of males and females who passed

5 • Situation/circumstances/position of the male and female students after they completed the courses, e.g. how many of them obtained jobs and how many increased their incomes?

Task 2What data would you need at each step for thefollowing?(a) An income-generation programme (b) A health service delivery programme

17


51.4%48.6%

49.9% 50.1%

33.6% 66.4% 50.8% 49.2%39.4% 60.6%

1,800,000

1,600,000

1,400,000

1,200,000

1,000,000

800,000

600,000

400,000

200,000

0

Primary

1,603,500

1,517,386

Male

Female

Secondary

1,010,186

1,013,702

Post-secondary

52,781

104,492

College

61,944

59,914

University

116,799

179,412

Figure 2 Enrolment by level of education and sex, 2004 (number and per cent)

Source: Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

Task 3Study the charts in Figures 2–8. For each chart, think about the following questions:

1 What are the most important facts shown by the chart?2 For which ministry or ministries is this information important?3 Which of the five steps of gender budget analysis is the chart useful for?4 What are the causes of the gender patterns shown in the chart?5 Do the gender patterns shown in the chart present problems for Malaysia’s development?6 Do the gender patterns shown in the chart present problems for women and men, girls and boys in

Malaysia? If so, which groups are worst affected and how?7 Does the government have any programmes which might change the gender patterns in the chart?8 What other data do we need to understand the gender patterns in the chart better?


18

100.0%

90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Male

Diploma First Degree Postgraduate Diploma Masters Ph.D.

59.4%

40.6%

63.4%

36.6%

54.9%

45.1%

48.8%

51.2%

35.7%

64.3%

FemaleLevel of Studies

Figure 3 Enrolments in public institutions of higher education by level of study and sex, 2003/2004

100.0%

90.0%

80.0%

70.0%

60.0%

50.0%

40.0%

30.0%

20.0%

10.0%

0.0%

Male

Female

20–24

88.0%

89.0%

25–29

89.0%

90.0%

30–34

89.0%

90.0%

35–39

90.0%

88.0%

40–44

89.0%

85.0%

45–49

89.0%

82.0%

50–54

86.0%

72.0%

55–59

82.0%

61.0%

60–64

74.0%

47.0%

65–69

66.0%

36.0%

70–74

58.0%

30.0%

75+

47.0%

21.0%

Figure 4 Population who have ever been to school, by age group, 2000 (per cent)

Source: Ministry of Education, Malaysia.

Source: Population and Housing Census, Department of Statistics, Malaysia.


19

6.0%

5.0%

4.0%

3.0%

2.0%

1.0%

0.0%

Male

Female

1990

4.0%

5.4%

1995

2.8%

3.8%

2000

3.0%

3.2%

2004

3.4%

3.8%

Figure 6 The unemployment rate, 1990–2004 (per cent)

Source: Department of Statistics, Malaysia.

7,000

6,000

5,000

4,000

3,000

2,000

1,000

0

Male

Female

1990

4,490

2,510

1995

5,203

2,690

2000

6,275

3,341

2004

6,622

3,731

Figure 5 Size of the labour force, 1990–2004 (’000s)



20

14.0

12.0

10.0

8.0

6.0

4.0

2.0

0.0

Total

5.1%

Urban

2.0%

Rural

11.4%

Male-headedhouseholds

3.8%

Female-headedhouseholds

12.5%

Figure 7 Incidence of poverty, 2002 (per cent)

78.0

76.0

74.0

72.0

70.0

68.0

66.0

64.0

62.0

60.0

Male

Female

1980

71.0

66.5

1990

73.7

69.2

1995

74.2

69.4

2000

75.0

70.2

2005

70.6

76.4

Figure 8 Life expectancy at birth, 1980–2005 (years)

Source: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department.


21

Making the Malaysian BudgetFormats Gender-Sensitive5

The focus of this section is on the pilotministries’ experience in adapting the existingMalaysian budget formats to reflect genderissues and accommodate gender needs. Theaim of the pilot project was to develop aproven, workable format for gender budgetingthat could be applied across all ministries.

The scope of the workThe Malaysian government’s standard budgetformats already contain many of the basicelements for gender budget work. For ex-ample, the standard formats already providefor motivations, objectives, description ofactivities, indicators, and targets. This meansthat the formats can easily be adapted forgender budget work by elaborating on theseelements and adding one or two extra items.

In the first year of gender budget work,Malaysia focused on producing gender-sensitive budget statements for the selectedprogrammes in the pilot ministries accordingto set formats based on its existing budgetformats. These programmes were drawn fromthe operating budget and the developmentbudget in order to test the application of theapproach across both.

Training was a key objective of the pilotproject. Initially, the training was confined tobudget officers in the pilot ministries but it

was later extended to officers in the Ministry ofFinance, selected officers in Institut TadbiranAwam Negara (INTAN), and gender focalpoints (i.e. officers responsible for co-ordinating gender programmes) in otherministries and agencies.

As a result of the pilot project, the Ministryof Finance issued a directive in the Call Circular2004 that all pilot ministries implementgender-responsive budgeting for selectedprogrammes for the year 2006–2007. It alsoencouraged other ministries and agencies toincorporate gender issues into their plans forprogrammes and activities. In order to facilitatethe incorporation of gender perspectives intotheir budget proposals, each ministry/agencyis expected to formulate a gender strategicplan—on a short, medium, and long-termbasis—well in advance.

The operating budgetMalaysia has a range of formats for reportingon operating budget programmes. For thepilot, the ABM-2 format was utilized because itis the most detailed. However, genderperspectives should also be incorporated intothe ABM-4 and ABM-5 formats (one off/newpolicy projects) by the relevant ministry/agency where necessary. These formats willcontinue to be used for the next year or two.

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Table 5 The operating budget’s ABM-2 format

1 Maksud bekalan (Supply head) Vote number as per Budget Book

2 Agensi (Agency) Name of Ministry/Department

3 Program (Programme) Name of programme

4 Aktiviti (Activity) Name of activity

5 Kod (Code) Accounting code of activity, to facilitate reference

6 Punca kuasa (Source of authority) Cabinet decision, parliamentary Act, or Treasury instruction which gives authority

7 Objektif (Objective) Previously agreed objectives for the activity. Should be focused on the problem that needs to be solved or fulfilled based on achievable impact. Objective to be stated not only in the form of function, but also in legislative statementor broader context.

8 Analisis keperluan/dasar Specify the following:(Needs/policy analysis) (i) clients’ problems/needs that need to be resolved. Include empirical data to support the seriousness of the

problems/needs.(ii) main reasons for the problems/needs;(iii) strategy to solve the problems/needs. Include (a) alternative policies and other government activities

to solve the problems/needs and (b) short- and long-term strategy and relevant financial year.

9 Pelanggan (Clients) Clients who will benefit directly or indirectly from the activity

10 Fungsi (Functions) Main functions that must be executed in order to generate the final output of the activities. Differentiation of functions should facilitate identification of expenditure from different sources.

11 Sumber-sumber (Sources) Information regarding resources allocated to each activity.

12 Spesifikasi output (Output Final output that has been produced. Information on:specification) (i) quantity of output (ii) quality of output (iii) timeliness of output

(iv) cost of output (v) equity (gender addition)For each of the above, include data on: * agreement/achievement/variance i.r.o. previous year

* agreement/variance for current year * proposal for next year

13 Petunjuk impak (Impact indicators) Indicators of activities, according to specified system+

14 Rancangan penilaian program State: (i) year of commencement of programme/activity (Programme evaluation plan) (ii) when last evaluation done and proposal for next evaluation

(iii) main criteria that will be assessed in future reviews(iv) proposed methodology to obtain data for assessment.

Source: Kementerian Kewangan Malaysia, Buku Panduan: Sistem Belanjawan Diubahsuai, Edisi Kedua, 1999.+ The system for impact indicators consists of the following:

* Nama aktiviti (Name of activity) * Tahun terakhir penilaian dibuat (Year of last evaluation) * Isu-isu yang dinilai (Issues to be evaluated)* Tahun bermula aktiviti (Year of commencing activity) * Tahun penilaian akan datang (Year of next evaluation) * Metodologi (Methodology)

Note: The two italicized items could incorporate gender issues.


23

At a later stage, changes can be made in theABM formats.

Table 5 shows the standard ABM-2 formatprescribed by the Ministry of Finance. Theshaded and italicized items indicate whereministries can add the gender issues. In mostcases, adding gender issues does not evenrequire an extra heading. It only requires thatbudget officers think and write about thedifferences between women and men, girlsand boys, when completing these items. Theonly place in which something new is addedis output specification (Item 12), where‘equity’ is introduced as an explicit new factorto be considered.

Gender-disaggregated data for theoperating budgetOne of the most effective ways of includinggender issues in the budget is through gender-disaggregated data—data that show thenumber of women and men, girls and boysinvolved. The standard ABM-2 reports alreadyinclude a lot of numbers, not only in Items 12(output) and 13 (impact), but also in otherplaces. However, gender-disaggregated dataare required on the current situation underItem 8 (needs analysis) and on people reachedby the programme under Item 9 (clients).

The following are some examples of

gender-disaggregated data that could beused in looking at the chosen programmes inthe pilot ministries. The checklists containedmany more items. In quite a number of theexamples below, gender is combined withother forms of disaggregation, such asurban/rural. This combined disaggregation isessential for understanding the situation,needs, outputs, and outcomes clearly.

MANPOWER DEPARTMENT (MHR)

• Number of male and female school-leaversin 2001 by urban/rural (8: needs analysis)

• Number of male and female trainees com-pleting training programmes during 2002 byurban/rural and other categories (12: output)

• Number of male and female enrolledtrainees by certificate/diploma/course for2002 by urban/rural (9: clients)

• Distribution of male and female employedpeople by industry (one-digit ISCO code) byurban/rural (8: needs analysis)

ORTHOPAEDIC (MOH)

• Number of male and female patientsoperated on/seen during 2003 by differentunits (8: needs analysis; 12: output)

• Number of male and female patientsoperated on/seen during 2003 by agegroup (children, adults, elderly)

Making the Malaysian Budget Formats Gender-Sensitive


24

• Average length of stay in hospital of maleand female patients assisted during 2003 bydifferent units (12: output)

• General hospital discharges (including deaths)by male/female and International Classificationof Diseases, Injuries & Causes of Death (ICD)for 2002 or 2003 (12: output; 13: impact)

• Deaths by cause and male/female for 2002or 2003 (8: needs analysis; 13: impact)

FAMILY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT (MOH)

• Number of males and females in thepopulation in each of the target groups (e.g.pregnant mothers, newborns, infants andchildren, schoolchildren and adolescents,adults, elderly) by urban/rural and state (8:needs analysis)

• Total clinic attendance at health clinics bymale/female according to different services(9: clients)

• Utilization of different forms of familyplanning by women and men by urban/ruraland state (8: needs analysis; 9: clients)

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT (MRRD)

• Literacy rates of women and men aged 15+years in different states (8: needs analysis)

• Activity status (employed, unemployed, noteconomically active) of women and men indifferent states (8: needs analysis)

• Poverty rates of female and male-headedhouseholds (8: needs analysis)

• Participation of women and men in KEMASincome-generating projects (separate bytype of project, e.g. sewing, food production,etc.) (9: clients; 12: output)

CHILD DEVELOPMENT (MRRD)

• Number of girl and boy children aged 2–4years in the rural population and number ofgirl and boy children aged 4–6 years in therural population (8: needs analysis)

• Number of girl and boy children partici-pating in TASKA, by government/private (9:clients; 12: output)

• Number of mothers and fathers partici-pating in PEKA (9: clients; 12: output)

• Dropout rates for girls and boys in rural andurban areas from Standard Six and above (8:needs analysis)

MENTAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (MRRD)

• Number of schooling and non-schoolinghousehold members in poor families bymale/female and state (8: needs analysis)

• Attendance at household heads’ module bymale/female and state (9: clients; 12: output)

• Attendance at non-schooling householdmembers’ module by male/female and state(9: clients; 12: output)


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INCOME IMPROVEMENT PROGRAMME(MRRD)

• Activity status (employed, unemployed, noteconomically active) of male and femaleadults from poor families (by state, ifpossible) (8: needs analysis)

• Percentage of employed women and menwho are self-employed

• Participation in agriculture-based projects bymale/female (and state) (9: clients; 12: output)

• Participation in non-agriculture-based pro-jects by male/female (and state) (9: clients;12: output)

PRIMARY EDUCATION (MOE)

• Number of girls and boys in the populationaged 6–12 years by state (8: needs analysis)

• Number of girls and boys aged 6–12 yearsattending primary school by state (9: clients;12: output)

• Toilet: pupil ratio for girls and boys by state(8: needs analysis)

• Problems reported at school by type ofproblem and sex of complainant (8: needsanalysis)

UNIVERSITIES (MOHE)

• Number of male and female (local and foreignseparate) applicants for places at universitiesaccording to level (8: needs analysis)

• Number of male and female (local andforeign separate) students admitted for2003, according to level (9: clients)

• Percentage of male and female studentscompleting their courses in 2002 or 2003within the stipulated time for the courses(12: output)

Gender-disaggregated data provide sep-arate figures for males and females. Some datacannot be disaggregated by gender becausethey refer only to males or only to females.Nevertheless, these data are also important.For example, eclampsia cases, deaths duringchildbirth, and location of childbirth onlyapply to women but are important indicatorsfor the Ministry of Health. Similarly, theMinistry of Rural and Regional Developmentmust record how many women attend itshousewives’ modules. These data are notgender-disaggregated, but they are still‘gender-relevant’.

Furthermore, numbers alone do not tellthe full story. Ministry budget officers arealready experienced in describing theobjectives, needs analysis, etc., in the ABM-2.What they have to do now is to think aboutwhat gender issues need to be added to thedescription. See Box 3 for examples showinghow the pilot ministries incorporated genderinto the different elements of the ABM-2.


26

BOX 3 Examples of items in a gender-responsive ABM-27 ObjectiveMHR: MANPOWER DEPARTMENTTo give equitable and equal opportunities for both male and female school-leavers to enrol in technical skills training courses offered by ILJTM (InstitutLatihan Jabatan Tenaga Manusia or Training Institute of the Manpower Department).

MOH: ORTHOPAEDICTo provide diagnostic, therapeutic management and rehabilitation services of the highest quality to male and female patients who suffer from traumaand illnesses relating to the musculo-skeletal system.

MOHE: UNIVERSITIESThis university will ensure that male and female applicants who apply to continue their studies in this university will receive equal opportunities to beselected. This university will also endeavour to achieve gender equity among staff and students in carrying out its operations.

8 Needs/Policy AnalysisMOH: ORTHOPAEDICPatients who suffer from orthopaedic-related problems (including injuries) will receive diagnostic services and treatment as outpatients or inpatients. Ingeneral, there are more male patients as a result of injuries, and more (older) female patients suffering from osteoarthritic problems.

Strategies to meet needs: To ensure that there are sufficient beds for patients of both sexes.

MOH: FAMILY HEALTH DEVELOPMENTExpectant mothers and their spouses should be given education on health care to increase their awareness of the risks involved during pregnancy andduring delivery so as to prioritize the mother’s and child’s health.

Schoolchildren and adolescents experience additional social problems such as drug addiction, smoking, behavioural problems, and others. This largelyoccurs among male adolescents. For example, data from the National Health Morbidity Survey II 1996 revealed that while, overall, 16.8 per cent ofadolescents smoke, the percentage is 30.7 per cent among male adolescents and 4.8 per cent among female adolescents.

MOHE: UNIVERSITIESThis university will identify the different needs of male and female students who are involved in the services/programmes/activities of this university.

MRRD: CHILD DEVELOPMENTEarly education of children is important to their development as a whole. It is particularly important for children from low-income families, whose parents(particularly mothers) may not have the education and resources to provide them with everything that is needed at this stage of their development.Therefore the TABIKA teachers should be equipped with the knowledge and skills to achieve the said purpose.

Courses and workshops given to these teachers from time to time (in-service training) will increase their skills and guide them to become a trainedworkforce. For the primary caregivers, usually the mother, the availability of KEMAS allows them time during the day for other activities, includingincome-earning or further education and training.


27

BOX 3 Examples of items in a gender-responsive ABM-2 (continued)

9 ClientsMOH: FAMILY HEALTH DEVELOPMENTEfforts are being undertaken to increase men’s awareness of the need to take more responsibility and play a role in family planning. A pilot project knownas ‘Comprehensive Reproductive Health Services’, which involved four health clinics, was carried out where ‘couple counselling’ was given priority. Healtheducation on family planning methods such as the use of contraceptive pills, condoms, implants, etc. is imparted to the couple but the choice is left to thecouple who want to plan their family. The medical assistants in charge of treating outpatients are now informed of the various family planning methodsso that they can convey the information to the patients.

Attention needs to be given to issues such as menopause and partial androgen deficiency amongst men. There is a need to increase the awareness ofmen and women regarding the changes that occur following menopause and partial androgen deficiency. This may reduce the mental anxiety faced by menand women.

MOE: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION~ Direct clients

• Male and female students aged 6–13 years • Male and female principals• Male and female teachers • Male and female support staff

MRRD: CHILD DEVELOPMENT~ Direct clients

• Preschool teachers (PM) TABIKA~ Indirect clients

• Children of TABIKA, the parents (especially the mothers, who are the usual primary caregivers), the family/rural community, and low-income group.

10 FunctionsMOH: ORTHOPAEDICTo provide health education to patients, for example, on how to avoid accidents, and on how to prevent osteoarthritic problems related to age.


28

12 Output specification [The formats shown below to be repeated for each year.]

BOX 3 Examples of Items in a Gender-responsive ABM-2 (continued)

MOH: ORTHOPAEDIC

Indicators Agreed Achieved VariantTotal Male Female

No. of outpatients 386,596 416,357 7.7No. of inpatients 182,441 80,595 -55.8No. of surgeries 217,732 200,696 -7.8Bed occupancy rate 81.4 64.9 -20.2Average length of stay (days) 6.5 5.9 -9.2

MOE: PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION

Performance Indicators Agreed Achieved VariantTotal Male Female Total

Output 1: Registration of pupils~ No. of pupils registered to enter Year 1~ No. of pupils registered following procedureOutput 2: Education management~ No. of primary school pupils receiving P&P~ No. of primary school pupils receiving P&P in

accordance with the ScheduleOutput 3: Implementation of co-curriculum activity~ No. of Std Two pupils involved in co-curriculum activities

MOHE: UNIVERSITIES Total in the Previous Year (2002)Resource Group Approved Filled

Total Male Female TotalAdministrative and legal staff appointmentsHigher management groupProfessional management groupSupport groupTotal


29

13 Impact Indicators

MHR: MANPOWER DEPARTMENT Actual Achievement for Previous Year (2003)Impact Indicators Male Female TotalCoverage of surveyNumber of trainees employed in fields for which they are trainedNumber of trainees employed within a month of graduatingNumber of job seekers with skills trainingIncrease of skilled workers in the marketNumber of firms sending personnel trained at ILJTM

MOH: FAMILY HEALTH DEVELOPMENTImpact Indicators Actual Achievement for Previous Year (2002)% of live births with birth weight below 2.5 kg (1996) 7.5Perinatal mortality rate for every 1,000 births 10.0Infant mortality rate for every 1,000 births 7.7Death rate of male infants ?Death rate of female infants ?Toddler mortality rate (1–4 yrs)~ By male and female ?~ By ethnic group ?~ By rural/urban ?Maternal mortality for every 100,000 births (1997)~ Peninsular Malaysia 30~ Sarawak 30~ Sabah 70

14 Programme evaluation plan

MOH: ORTHOPAEDICIssues to be evaluated 2004/5: To incorporate a gender perspective when estimating the national workload, utilization of resources,development targets, and standards for optimal care in a Malaysian setting and to assess the quality of care in orthopaedic practice.

BOX 3 Examples of Items in a Gender-responsive ABM-2 (continued)


30

The development budgetMalaysia’s standard format for the develop-ment budget (see Table 6) is different fromthe format for the operating budget. Thedevelopment budget format provides lessspace for discussion. It relies more on yes/no

(Y/N) or other responses which are easilycomputerized.

Nevertheless, the italicized items in thetable show that there are a large number ofelements which concern gender or otherequity issues.

Table 6 The development budget’s standard format

1 Ministry (Kementerian)2 Agency (Agensi)3 Implementing agency (Agensi pelaksana)4 Ministry code (Maksud pembangunan)5 Project code (Butiran)6 Name of programme/project (Nama program/projek)7 Scope of the programme/project (Skop program/projek)8 Sector (Sektor)9 Type of programme/project (Jenis program/projek)10 Objective (objektif)11 Priority level (keutamaan)12 Location (tempat) in terms of state and district13 Target in terms of development of the area/urban residents (Sasaran projek adalah untuk pembangunan

kawasan/penduduk luar bandar) (Y/N)14 Local authority (Pihak berkuasa tempatan)15 Parliamentary area (Kawasan parlimen)16 State assembly (Kawasan dewan undangan negeri)17 Area (Kawasan) in terms of city, rural or both


31

Table 6 The development budget’s standard format (continued)

18 Project indicators (Indikator):(a) Poverty eradication programmes (Y/N). If yes, state the percentage allocation for each of the programmes:

(i) Income generation (Penambahan pendapatan) (ii) Basic infrastructure(iii) Human development (Pembangunan manusia) (iv) Others

(b) Programmes for the restructuring of society:(i) Development of Bumiputra enterpreneurs (Y/N) (ii) Education and training of Bumiputra (Y/N)(iii) Others (Y/N)

(c) Programme on environment (Y/N)(d) KESBAN project (Y/N)(e) IT project (Y/N)(f) Addresses key gender issue (Y/N)

19 Whether programme is to be implemented through privatization (Y/N)20 Whether programme is to involve deferred payment (Y/N)21 Method of implementation (e.g. open tender)22 Period of implementation—commencement and completion years23 Distribution (over years) of the total cost of the programme by type of development expenditure24 Total cost of the programme/project25 Percentage of total cost to be covered by local and foreign revenue for each year26 Usage of construction material27 Total allocation of RM which has been allocated from government resources28 Total allocation from government resources for current year29 Resources by source and type of resource and year30 Management expenditure31 Human resource requirements in terms of:

(a) top management (b) management and professional (c) supporting group32 Physical targets (where relevant) by year

(a) % (b) hectare (c) number(d) kilometre (e) construction work (%) (f) acquisition (%)(g) others

Source: Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department.


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In addition to the standard format presentedin Table 6, ministries are required to prepareproject proposals for each project. Theseproposals contain more narrative than thestandard format entered in the computer andare therefore an ideal instrument for ensuringgender-responsiveness. Details on the back-ground of the project, components, estimatedcosts, output, and benefits expected, as wellas justification for the project, are summarizedin these project proposals.

Gender-disaggregated data for thedevelopment budgetGender-disaggregated data are also useful inthinking about development budget programmes.For the pilot, all four ministries were given achecklist containing data they might finduseful in analysing the chosen programmes.Box 4 contains examples showing how the pilotministries incorporated gender into projectproposals for various development projects.

BOX 4 Examples of items in gender-responsive project proposalsI Background of the projectMRRD: HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROJECTA complete home—3 rooms minimum (for parents, daughters, sons)—is a component of basic facilities needed by poor families.Priority to be given to poor female-headed households as the policy is to focus on single mothers with dependants.

MOHE: KUSTEM RESIDENTIAL FACILITIESSince 70 per cent of KUSTEM’s enrolment is female, seven of the ten hostel blocks will be allocated for them and three for male students.

II Objective of the projectMOH: URBAN HEALTH FACILITIESTo provide primary health care facilities for the population in the urban areas and to promote wellness and facilitate maximum recoveryfrom illness, with special focus on the following groups:• pregnant mothers and newborns • infants and toddlers • schoolchildren and adolescents• elderly people • children with special needs


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BOX 4 Examples of items in gender-responsive project proposals (continued)

III Project componentsMHR: ILP SELANDAR, MELAKAThis project proposal covers various components as listed below:

(b) Buildings and facilitiesBuildings and facilities available in the institutes will include:(iii) Hostels for 300 male and 300 female trainees. Female hostels will be fenced for security reasons ...(viii) Prayer halls for male and female ...(x) Recreational facilities for male and female ...

MOH: RURAL HEALTH FACILITIESAdditional facilities will be constructed to provide sufficient space to carry out the new scope of services such as adolescent health(counselling for boys and girls), rehabilitation services for the disabled, and services for elderly men and women.

IV Estimates of project costsMRRD: HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROJECTRebuilding/building new housing (3 rooms, security according to needs, and proper kitchen):

RM10,370++ (Peninsular Malaysia) RM11,930++ (Sabah & Sarawak)

V Expected output and benefits of the projectMHR: ILP SELANDAR, MELAKAThe skills training will provide equal opportunities to male and female school-leavers as the selection of trainees is made based onqualifications rather than gender. Looking at the trend of applications received to date, there is an increase in female applicants. This willincrease the participation rate of female trainees in high-level skills training.

VI Project justificationMRRD: HOUSING ASSISTANCE PROJECT

Comfortable and safe houses will create a peaceful environment. Improved homes will encourage acceptance of change. Targeting ofassistance to female-headed households will reduce their burden.

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Gender budget work is a new thing inMalaysia. It is also relatively new in other partsof the world. This section answers questionsthat are often asked about gender budgetwork both in Malaysia and in other countries.

1 What is a gender budget?A gender budget is a budget that is gender-sensitive, i.e. it addresses the needs andinterests of different groups of citizens.Gender budget work is not about a separatebudget for women. It is about including agender perspective into the existing nationalbudget so that it allocates resources in anequitable way to satisfy the needs of womenand men, girls and boys, and different groupsof women and men, girls and boys. By doingso, a gender-sensitive budget will serve theinterests of these citizens, as well as those ofthe country as a whole. It will ensure that thecountry utilizes to the fullest extent possiblethe potential of each citizen.

2 How is gender relevant outside of thesocial services?

Malaysia’s National Policy on Women and theEighth Malaysia Plan both emphasize theimportance of utilizing the country’s humanpotential to the full. These documents thussay that gender is important when we look at

the programmes and budgets of economic-related budgets such as those of the Ministriesof Human Resources, Agriculture and Agro-based Industries, and Rural and RegionalDevelopment.

The protective services of governmentalso affect women and men differently.Generally, men are more concerned aboutproperty crimes and women are moreconcerned about personal crimes. So, wheregovernment focuses its resources addressestheir needs differently. Infrastructure alsoaffects women and men differently. Forexample, because women are more likely thanmen to work from home, affordable andreliable basic services make them moreefficient. The services also relieve the burdenof their unpaid household tasks.

3 Does the introduction of gender budgetwork in Malaysia imply that the Malaysiangovernment currently discriminatesagainst women?

The decision to introduce gender budgetwork in Malaysia does not imply that thegovernment has failed to address genderissues up until now. It also does not imply thatthere is a lot of discrimination against womenin Malaysia. Gender budget work providesevidence that the Malaysian government is

Frequently Asked QuestionsAbout Gender Budgeting6

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committed to achieving gender equality andpromoting women’s development. It providesa way for the government to monitor andevaluate what it is achieving in this area. Itprovides proof for parliamentarians and othersof what the government is achieving.

4 What does the government gain bydoing gender budget work?

The gender budget approach is a tool thatimproves (a) prioritization, (b) planning, (c)management of implementation, (d) moni-toring and evaluation, and (e) impact assess-ment. All of these are functions the EconomicPlanning Unit (EPU) and the Implementationand Coordination Unit (ICU) are always tryingto improve. Gender budget work also helpswith the Ministry of Finance’s aim to make itswork more analytical, and more focused onlonger-term planning. In addition, genderbudget work helps fulfil the country’sinternational commitments in terms of theConvention on the Elimination of All Forms ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW),Beijing +5, and other conventions. Finally,Malaysia can easily become one of the leadersin this area, and demonstrate once again thecountry’s sophistication in public policyadministration.

5 Will gender budget work increase thebudget deficit?

Gender budget work is not about asking for‘more money’ for gender issues or for women.Gender budget work is about prioritization. Itaccepts the overall envelope of resources, butasks whether the way this money is currentlydistributed has the best impact on womenand men, girls and boys, and different groupsof citizens. It asks whether the currentdistribution of available resources is the mosteffective, efficient, economic, and equitableway of achieving government objectives,including the objectives of gender equalityand women’s development.

6 Which country can give Malaysia theblueprint of how to do gender budgetwork?

Malaysia has a history of drawing on theexperience of other countries, but also offorging its own path that suits its ownparticular needs. More than 60 countries havedone gender budget work of some sort.However, none of these could provide ablueprint for Malaysia. The standard budgets ofall countries differ. Similarly, gender budgetswill differ across countries. Malaysia has learntfrom other countries, but has developed itsown unique approach to gender budget work.

Frequently Asked Questions About Gender Budgeting


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7 How much extra work does the genderbudget entail?

Malaysia already has a budget format thatprovides a good basic framework for a genderbudget. Unlike many other countries, Malaysiaalready has a results-oriented format. Thisformat places a lot of emphasis on impact, andimpact is at the heart of gender budget work.The format can easily be adapted to includegender issues in the description of thesituation being addressed and the objectivesof the programme. It also easily incorporatesgender and other disaggregations of outputsand impacts.

Unlike in some other countries, thegender budget in Malaysia will be part of themain budget document rather than producedas a separate document. This means that thereis less additional work. As Malaysia begins itsgender budget exercises, there will be someextra work in training staff in the new formatand in gender analysis. This extra work will beneeded over a few years as the format isrefined and as new ministries start doinggender budget work. After that, there will beminimal extra work for staff.

8 How can staff in ministries learn thecomplicated economic, gender, andother skills?

Gender budget work is not difficult. Malaysiaalready has nearly all the necessary elements inits budget format. Gender budget work entailsonly small revisions of the existing proceduresand staff will be given practical training.Experience in other countries has shown thatthe best way of learning to do gender budgetwork is through practice. As with any innovation,in the first year, the documents produced willnot be perfect. But, over time, staff will gain inexperience and the documents will improve.

9 How can officers do this work withoutgender-sensitive data?

We often hear the complaint that Malaysia hasvery little gender-disaggregated and gender-sensitive data. This complaint is exaggerated.The Department of Statistics produces a lot ofdata, and each of the ministries generatesfurther administrative data. The main problemis that potential users do not know that thedata are available or where to get them.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Gender Budgeting

Gender budget work also generates data asprogramme managers see the need both todisaggregate existing statistics and to collectinformation. There may be challenges at first,but these will diminish over time.

10 Malaysia has so many ministries—howcan we get them all to change theirway of working?

By doing a pilot first, with four (later five)ministries and selected programmes, thegovernment tested the gender budgetmethod and refined it. Malaysia now has aproven, workable format. It also has a numberof experienced people from the pilot ministrieswho can act as trainers for the other ministries.

11 How can a junior ministry, like theMWFCD, tell the rest of governmentwhat to do?

The MWFCD is a new ministry, and a smallone. It is small because its main role is notimplementation. The ministry is an advocatefor better policy making. Its role is to assist therest of government to become more gender-sensitive in its work. The Ministry of Financehas played a central role in the gender budgetinitiative, with the support of the EPU. Theseagencies have agreed on the format andapproach in gender budgeting. They aredirecting and overseeing its implementation.The MWFCD is playing a backup role forministries that need assistance, for example,with gender analysis.

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CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

EPU Economic Planning Unit

GDP Gross domestic product

GRB Gender-responsive budget

ICU Implementation and Coordination Unit

IT Information technology

MOE Ministry of Education

MOH Ministry of Health

MOHE Ministry of Higher Education

MHR Ministry of Human Resources

MRD Ministry of Rural Development

MRRD Ministry of Rural and Regional Development

MWFCD Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development

NDP National Development Plan

NEP New Economic Policy

OPP3 Third Outline Perspective Plan

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

Abbreviations

Ministry of Women, Family and Community DevelopmentLevel 1–5, Block E, Bukit Perdana, Government Office Complex, Jalan Dato’ Onn, 50515 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Tel: 03 2693 0095 Fax: 03 2698 5982 Website: www.kpwkm.gov.my

United Nations Development ProgrammeWisma UN, Block C, Kompleks Pejabat Damansara, Jalan Dungun, Damansara Heights, 50490 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Tel: 03 2095 9122 Fax: 03 2095 2870 Website: www.undp.org.my

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