A UBI will harm gender equality because costs will cause cuts to other services necessary for women and workers

The design features necessary for a feminist universal basic income Debates remain largely hypothetical given that there are so few full-fledged UBI schemes, and because where they do exist they are usually not evaluated for gender impacts. It is clear that the extent to which UBI’s potential for reducing gender and other inequalities will be realized depends critically on its specific design features, including the level of benefit provided, its financing mechanism and its interaction with existing tax and social security systems.38 Without parallel investments in quality public services and strengthened support for workers’ rights, UBI could have detrimental effects for gender equality and social justice. However, well-designed UBI that is integrated into a comprehensive system of social protection, public services and labour market regulations could strengthen women’s and transgender and genderdiverse people’s income security, lower poverty rates and go some way to redressing inequalities in wealth and income. This will be perceived by many as a high standard to live up to, and any UBI will have to be rolled out carefully and progressively. Extending the reach of existing social protection schemes aimed at particular groups—such as social pensions and child and disability benefits—and ensuring that these are unconditional and universally available could be an important stepping stone towards achieving universal income security for all. The main recommendations for States considering UBI are as follows: • Follow a rights-based approach to social protection when designing UBI schemes. This includes following the principles of progressive realization and non-retrogression to safeguard against the rollback of existing social security and labour protections. Like all other social protection schemes, UBI should be anchored in national legal frameworks. • Ensure that UBI is accompanied by parallel investments in quality public services, including care services, health care, education, housing and food security, and with attention to the rights of women and transgender and gender-diverse people working within these sectors.