Reducing Gender Inequality in Uganda Experiences in Gender Budgeting

Reducing Gender Inequality in Uganda: The potential for Gender and Equity Budgeting

The major concern of Government in Uganda today, is the issue of poverty reduction among the citizenry on one hand and wealth creation on the other. Gender inequality and poverty, and therefore limited wealth accumulation are the result of distinct though interlocking, social relations and processes. Social relations of gender mediate women’s experience of poverty.

Over the last two decades, government of Uganda has actively promoted women’s empowerment and gender equality in both regal and policy arenas. However, although Uganda has embraced gender mainstreaming, it is evident that gender inequalities are still persistent.

Gender equality is not just a question of justice that women and men should have equal opportunities in all aspects of life, it is a question of good economics and is essential for development. Cross-country experiences have shown that in situations where technology or other economic conditions change rapidly, human capital will have a key impact on growth. Women and men both play substantial though different roles in our economies. One of the key lessons of development experience, is that development activities function much more effectively if all people are empowered.

Status of Gender Inequality

Agriculture and women in Uganda

In terms of livelihoods, the majority of Ugandans (74%) are subsistence farmers, while the rest are engaged either in employment income activities, or business enterprises or other activities.

Agriculture continues to provide a significant share of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 85 percent of export earnings, 77 percent of total employment (UBOS, 2005) and the bulk of raw materials used by the mainly agricultural-based industrial sector. It is the backbone of Uganda’s economy.

At the sectoral level, men and women make differing contributions. Women account for 80 percent of the workforce in the agricultural...