Debate contribution: Gender-responsive Budgeting
Debate contribution by Ms Diana Armstrong on .
- MLA
- Ms Diana Armstrong
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 14 January 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Opposition Business
- Heading
- Gender-responsive Budgeting
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4736792
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Opposition for tabling the motion. Recognition of gender-responsive budgeting is a vital tool in addressing systemic gender inequalities. Gender-responsive budgeting, as explained by the UK Women's Budget Group, is a way of analysing the Budget for its effects on gender equality. It aims to increase focus on assessing the impacts of spending and revenue-raising decisions on gender equality and adopt practices that can bring about equality between men and women. The approach raises awareness of the different impacts that publicly funded policies and programmes have on women and men at all levels of government. That strategy assesses the impact of government budgets and policies while striving to achieve social and economic gender equality. At its core, gender budgeting leverages fiscal policy and administrative procedures to address gender inequalities and promote the social and economic development of women. In Northern Ireland, the statistics are stark. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency found that 67·9% of women are in part-time employment and that about 31% of working-age women are economically inactive, often due to caring or family commitments. In contrast, the main reason why men are economically inactive is sickness. Northern Ireland has the highest rate of economic inactivity among women in the UK, yet we lack a comprehensive childcare strategy to support women returning to work. The Good Friday Agreement committed to improving women's public life and promoting equality of opportunity between men and women. However, section 75, which is open to interpretation by the Executive and each Department, does not guarantee equality in social and economic development. Despite being one of nine grounds considered in a Budget, gender equality remains elusive, and deeply embedded inequalities persist. To move towards gender budgeting, our Departments must collect gender-disaggregated data to develop evidence-based policies. Stormont has the institutional and legal architecture to implement that, yet none of the Departments practises gender budgeting freely and willingly.
I thank the Member for the intervention. Gender-responsive budgeting requires collective engagement and consultation. By introducing comprehensive gender-responsive budgeting measures for the 2025-26 Budget, including thorough gender-impact assessments, proactive resource allocation and transparent monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, we can make significant strides towards gender equality. I will support the amendment to the motion.
369 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.05 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.94).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.11 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.02 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.02 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.94 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.05 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Gender, sexuality, abortion and related social issues | 0.75 |
| Sexism, misogyny, ageism and other equality groups | 0.25 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:50 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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