Abstract

This study focuses on Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) as an alternative approach for equitable allocation of gender resources for men, women, boys and girls in Rwanda. This study uses purposive sampling technique to identify 115 respondents from institutions and gender machineries in Rwanda. Face to face interviews and focus group discussions were utilised to gather primary data base. The empirical results indicated that Rwanda government has integrated and adapted GRB methodology into national accounting system to allocate gender resources. This study found that there are distortions of information and inconsistency in preparation of gender budget statements as well as imbalance of allocation of gender resources at micro-level in Rwanda. This study suggests the need for capacity building to strengthen skills of economists, planners and budget officers bestowed with the obligation of engendering the national budget. This study further opines that the government of Rwanda should set benchmarks to guide allocation of gender resources at macro, mezzo and micro-level.

Key words: Gender responsive budgeting, national budget, gender equality, impact.