Sustainable Development and Economic Empowerment of Women

Abstract

The main objective of this chapter is to demonstrate the possible interrelationships between sustainable development, as a human right, and women’s economic empowerment based on the hypothesis that the aforementioned right suffers a deficit of effectiveness when faced with contexts in which the equality in labor relations is not observed. In the first part, the need for a non-rhetorical affirmation of the right to development is exposed. It follows exploring general historical issues surrounding the sexual division of labor and asserting the global need to enable women to exercise their capacities and freedoms, freeing themselves from gender stereotypes. The analysis of good practices for the induction of the right to development is carried out, with gender equity as one of its main components. Therefore, it is argued that the acceptance of women in the formal labor market and the wage parity between men and women are relevant themes to the extent that their practical implementation is hampered by a male chauvinist culture, which consequently makes the aforementioned issue a challenge.