Publication: PFR Fundamentals: Fiscal Policy and Women’s Economic Empowerment
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2025-09-29
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2025-10-06
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This PFR Guidance Note on Fiscal Policy and Women’s Economic Empowerment supports World Bank country teams in integrating a gender lens into the macro fiscal, revenue, and expenditure chapters of PFRs. Fiscal policy can play an important role in reducing gender gaps, enhancing women’s economic empowerment, and contributing to inclusive growth. The design and administration of tax policies can impact gender equality. Public spending on services like childcare, eldercare, water, sanitation, and safe transport can ease unpaid care burdens that disproportionately fall on women. Investments in digital access and infrastructure also support women’s labor force participation (LFP) .While not all fiscal policy instruments can directly address gender disparities, fiscal policy remains a powerful lever for advancing inclusive growth and improving women’s wellbeing.
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“Komatsu, Hitomi; Ozer, Ceren; Abramovsky, Laura Fernanda; Jourbet, Clement. 2025. PFR Fundamentals: Fiscal Policy and Women’s Economic Empowerment. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/43807 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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