Growth Factor Equality. The Economic Benefits of Gender Budgeting in Vienna (Executive Summary)

Gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting aim to increase equality and equal opportunities between women and men. In contrast to the majority of evaluations of gender equality, which analyse legal, socio-political and distribution-relevant aspects, the aim of this research project is to estimate the economic benefits of increasing gender equality on the basis of selected gender budgeting measures in Vienna. The first step is to assess the gender equality potential in Vienna in the Austrian context and to assess the growth potential by increasing gender equality based on the study of the European Institute for Gender Equality (2017). In a second step, the objectives of the Vienna gender budgeting measures are analysed. Against the background of the relevant literature, mechanisms through which individual measures can affect GDP and employment are identified. According to these mechanisms, e.g., the increase of the labour force participation of women, the gender budgeting measures can be grouped into measure groups. These form the basis for the selection of example initiatives, for which, in the course of a feasibility study, approaches to estimate the potential impacts on Vienna's GDP and employment are discussed. Finally, the macroeconomic impact analysis is carried out for the reform of the non-contributory kindergarten in Vienna.