Social protection serves as an instrument for the state to fulfill the social rights of its citizens. In the era of decentralization, the authority over social services has become a mandatory responsibility of local governments. However, the budgetary capacity of local governments to perform their social protection functions varies widely. Regional leaders play a crucial role in determining social protection budgets. Gender is often linked to social protection policies, as traditionally, social protection is associated with feminine stereotypes. This study aims to analyze the influence of leadership on social protection budgets in East Java Province from 2021 to 2024. The dependent variable in this research is the social protection budget at the district or city level, while the independent variables are gender and regional characteristics (district or city). The contribution of this research is to examine the impact of gender stereotypes and regional characteristics on budgeting in regions with strong patriarchal norms.