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Making Visible the Hidden Economy: The Case for Gender-Impact Analysis of Economic Policy

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  • Susan Himmelweit

Abstract

This paper makes the case for analyzing the gender impact of economic policy, based on the existence of an unpaid as well as a paid economy and on structural differences between men's and women's positions across the two economies. Economic policy is targeted on the paid economy. However, unintended impacts on the unpaid care economy may limit how effective any policy can be. Gender-impact assessment will not only make the effects of economic policies on gender inequalities transparent; it will also enable policy makers to achieve all their goals more effectively, whether or not these goals relate explicitly to gender. The introduction in the UK of a new Working Families' Tax Credit (WFTC), designed to make employment pay and help reduce child poverty, provides an example of how gender-impact assessment could have been used to improve an initial policy design. The paper also suggests criteria for evaluating economic policy, so that its full gender impact and its effects on both paid and caring economies can be assessed.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan Himmelweit, 2002. "Making Visible the Hidden Economy: The Case for Gender-Impact Analysis of Economic Policy," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 49-70.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:8:y:2002:i:1:p:49-70
    DOI: 10.1080/13545700110104864
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    Cited by:

    1. Marina Sánchez, 2015. "De la reproducción económica a la sostenibilidad de la vida," Revista de Economía Crítica, Asociación de Economía Crítica, vol. 19, pages 58-76.
    2. Julia Bachtrögler & Julia Bock-Schappelwein & Paul Eckerstorfer & Peter Huber & Christine Mayrhuber & Mark Sommer & Gerhard Streicher, 2019. "Wachstumsfaktor Gleichstellung. Der ökonomische Nutzen von Gender Budgeting in Wien," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 65741, Juni.
    3. Khalifa, Rihab & Scarparo, Simona, 2021. "Gender Responsive Budgeting: A tool for gender equality," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    4. Hozer-Koćmiel Marta & Kuźmiński Wojciech, 2020. "Modelling Unpaid Housework Time in Poland on the Basis of a Time Use Survey," Folia Oeconomica Stetinensia, Sciendo, vol. 20(1), pages 177-189, June.
    5. Suwastika Naidu, 2016. "Does Human Development Influence Women’s Labour Force Participation Rate? Evidences from the Fiji Islands," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 127(3), pages 1067-1084, July.
    6. repec:ces:ifodic:v:6:y:2008:i:2:p:14567141 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. Romane Frecheville-Faucon & Magali Jaoul-Grammare & Faustine Perrin, 2023. "Gender Inequalities: Progress and Challenges," Working Papers of BETA 2023-32, Bureau d'Economie Théorique et Appliquée, UDS, Strasbourg.
    8. Margit Schratzenstaller, 2008. "Gender Budgeting in Austria," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 6(2), pages 44-51, 07.
    9. Giovanna Galizzi & Gaia Viviana Bassani & Cristiana Cattaneo, 2018. "Adoption of Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) by an Italian Municipality," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-13, November.
    10. Kai Leichsenring & Selma Kadi & Cassandra Simmons, 2022. "Making the Invisible Visible: The Pandemic and Migrant Care Work in Long-Term Care," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-14, July.
    11. Romane Frecheville-Faucon & Magali Jaoul-Grammare & Faustine Perrin, 2023. "Gender Inequalities: Progress and Challenges," Working Papers 12-23, Association Française de Cliométrie (AFC).
    12. Sarah Gammage, 2015. "Labour market institutions and gender equality," Chapters, in: Janine Berg (ed.), Labour Markets, Institutions and Inequality, chapter 12, pages 315-339, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    13. Christine Mayrhuber & Michaela Neumayr & Margit Schratzenstaller & Birgit Buchinger & Ulrike Gschwandtner, 2006. "Gender-Budget-Analyse für Oberösterreich," WIFO Studies, WIFO, number 27105, Juni.
    14. Ilkkaracan, Ipek & Kim, Kijong & Masterson, Tom & Memiş, Emel & Zacharias, Ajit, 2021. "The impact of investing in social care on employment generation, time-, income-poverty by gender: A macro-micro policy simulation for Turkey," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    15. Margit Schratzenstaller, 2008. "Gender Budgeting in Austria," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 6(02), pages 44-51, July.
    16. Chakraborty, Lekha, 2023. "Beyond GDP and Public Policies for Gender Equality: Gender Budgeting in Asia Pacific," Working Papers 23/404, National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
    17. Therese Jefferson, 2007. "Discussing Retirement: Insights from a Qualitative Research Project," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 10(2), pages 129-145.
    18. Jérôme De Henau, 2008. "Asymetric power within couples: the gendered effect of children and employment on entitlement to household income," Brussels Economic Review, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 51(2/3), pages 269-290.
    19. Jerome De Henau & Susan Himmelweit, 2020. "Developing a Macro-Micro Model for Analyzing Gender Impacts of Public Policy," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_966, Levy Economics Institute.
    20. Rhonda Sharp & Ray Broomhill, 2002. "Budgeting for Equality: The Australian Experience," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 25-47.
    21. O’Hagan Angela, 2017. "Gender budgeting in Scotland: A work in progress," Administration, Sciendo, vol. 65(3), pages 17-39, August.
    22. Carmen Echebarría Miguel & Mercedes Larrañaga Sarriegui, 2004. "La igualdad entre mujeres y hombres: una asignatura pendiente," CIRIEC-España, revista de economía pública, social y cooperativa, CIRIEC-España, issue 50, pages 11-35, November.
    23. Kijong Kim & Rania Antonopoulos, 2011. "Unpaid and Paid Care: The Effects of Child Care and Elder Care on the Standard of Living," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_691, Levy Economics Institute.
    24. Suzy Morrissey, 2018. "Gender Budgeting: A Useful Approach for Aotearoa New Zealand," Treasury Working Paper Series 18/02, New Zealand Treasury.
    25. Sue Durbin & Margaret Page & Sylvia Walby & Emma Craddock, 2017. "Caring About and For the Cuts: a Case Study of the Gendered Dimension of Austerity and Anti-austerity Activism," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(1), pages 69-82, January.

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