The UK Women’s Budget Group started as a small group of women who were frustrated that discussions about the impact of the budget every year did not include how the budget affected women and men differently.
From the start one of the strengths of the Women’s Budget Group was that it involved members from a range of different backgrounds, with different expertise, particularly academia, the women’s voluntary sector and trade unions. As well as bringing a range of expertise to the Women’s Budget Group, members use WBG analysis to influence their own networks and build awareness of feminist approaches to economics within academia, trade unions and the women’s movement. Some gender budgeting groups also involve policy makers. However, while WBG has allies among parliamentarians and civil servants, the group has always remained independent of government and political parties.
