Building fairer fiscal systems: Principles and tools to design a holistic approach for closing gender gaps

In this piece, TaxDev researchers Laura Abramovsky and Hazel Granger argue that successful fiscal policies are those that not only reduce poverty and inequality today - including between men and women - but also enable women’s sustained access to quality, well-paid employment in the future, creating fairer and more inclusive economies for all.

They discuss how taxes and social spending can be used most effectively when countries take a holistic approach to policymaking and outline reform options for improving individual fiscal policy instruments. A holistic approach, they emphasise, also requires addressing social norms and expanding job opportunities for both women and men, using non-fiscal levers where needed.

Finally, they make the case for investing in the analytical and administrative tools necessary for effective, evidence-based, and coordinated fiscal policymaking - the foundation for more joined-up and fairer fiscal systems.

This article is part of the Brookings Center for Sustainable Development compendium “Innovations in public finance: A new fiscal paradigm for gender equality, climate adaptation, and care.” To learn more about the compendium’s chapters, cross-cutting themes, and policy-relevant insights, see the “Introduction: Six themes and key recommendations for embedding gender equality, care, and climate in fiscal policy.”