Delhi’s gender budget: decline and effects

• Delhi’s gender budget has seen a seven-fold increase from ₹10 billion in 2011-12 to ₹71 billion in 2024-25.

• Despite financial assistance to women and child development, investments in education and health are crucial.

• Education of women can bridge the gender gap in employment and achieve wage parity.

• The budget for women’s education in Delhi stood at ₹2 billion in 2011-12, which increased to ₹18 billion in 2024-25.

• The education budget has consistently declined, with a massive decline of 9% in the education budget in just the past year.

• The lack of investment in education can have negative spillovers into the labour market, leading to a smaller female workforce, lower skill levels, and low-paying jobs.

• The gender gap in labour force participation for Delhi stands at 51.6 percentage points as of 2023-24.

• Women are under-represented in high skilled jobs, such as technicians and associate professionals.

• The lack of technical and professional education of women has led to the concentration of women in certain fields.

• Improving the budget for women’s education would greatly reduce the gender gap in the long run.