This research provides a gender perspective on fiscal policy in structurally constrained economies. It explores the intersections of care regimes, fiscal austerity, and debt to expand the knowledge in the field of engendered macroeconomics.

The project bridges gender studies, macroeconomics, and structuralist development economics by linking care regimes, balance of payments (BoP) constraints, and debt. The existing literature shows how care works as an “adjustment variable” during economic crises. Fiscal adjustments often cut care-related policies like education, care infrastructure and health, increasing unpaid care work. Also, while some qualitative research on care shows the emotional and precarious dimensions of it, the comparative and intersectional evidence is still limited. This research addresses those gaps, analyzing austerity’s impact differently across regions, while also providing insights on women’s roles in work, care, and activism.

The study builds on recent Post-Keynesian engendered models that incorporate fiscal policy, unpaid care responsibilities, and care regimes and connect them with structural characteristics of the economies. The central research question asks how BoP constraints, debt, and fiscal policy interact with gender inequalities and care systems. Sub-questions examine how BoP constraints and debt pressures affect care and social services spending, how women perceive austerity’s effects, and whether fiscal consolidation undermines productivity and exacerbates BoP constraints. The hypothesis is that debt and BoP pressures reduce care spending, creating “austerity traps” that shift care burdens onto households, worsening gender inequality and living conditions in the long term.

The methodology employs a mixed-methods approach with Argentina and the UK as comparative case studies. Stage one develops a theoretical framework and a Post-Keynesian macroeconomic model (PKMM). Stage two tests hypotheses with econometric analysis, including Vector Autoregressive models using quarterly fiscal, exchange rate, employment, and productivity data from official sources. Stage three uses mixed methods and time use data to assess care impacts, and complemented by semi-structured interviews with women and organizations in care sectors. Sampling strategies will ensure inclusion of marginalized groups such as migrants and low-income communities.

With this combination of quantitative modeling and qualitative evidence it’s possible to show how austerity and external constraints shape care provision, productivity, and long-term structural change from a gendered perspective.