Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Post-Pandemic Fiscal Recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 111–124

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001303

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Post-Pandemic Fiscal Recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa

Names of Author: Dr. Tendai Moyo¹ & Prof. Jean-Luc Moreau²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Economics, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; ²Paris School of Economics, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France.

Abstract:
Sovereign debt crises and post-pandemic austerity measures across sub-Saharan Africa have triggered severe public spending cuts in healthcare, education, and social protection—sectors upon which women disproportionately rely for employment and essential services. When national budgets are formulated without gender-disaggregated impact assessments, fiscal consolidation inadvertently transfers the cost of economic adjustment onto women’s unpaid domestic labor. This paper evaluates the implementation and efficacy of gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) frameworks in Zimbabwe and Senegal over the past decade. Grounded in feminist macroeconomics, the study analyzes national budget allocations, public expenditure tracking surveys, and interviews with treasury officials and feminist economists. The research demonstrates that GRB initiatives only achieve transformative fiscal redistribution when backed by binding legislative mandates, transparent public audits, and active participation from grassroots women’s budget groups.

Keywords: Gender-responsive budgeting, feminist macroeconomics, fiscal austerity, public policy, social protection, unpaid labor, Zimbabwe, Senegal

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 05, 2026; Revised: August 10, 2026; Accepted: August 14, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Moyo, T., & Moreau, J.-L. (2026). Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Post-Pandemic Fiscal Recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 111–124. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001303

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