Women in the Americas: Bridging the Gender Gap
(02/99, En, Es) See also Women in Development
Available for purchase only, in English and Spanish, through the IDB Bookstore.
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She may be a chemist in Chile, a Mexican maquiladora worker, an elderly Quechua Woman in the Bolivian highlands, or a teenager in a poor neighborhood in Kingston, Jamaica. Across Latin America and the Caribbean, economic and social progress depends as never before on better incorporating these women into the development process and assuring that they reap their share of the benefits.
In the past 20 years, women have played a vital role in changing the face of Latin America, mobilizing to overcome economic hardships and to support political reforms. Yet inequality between men and women persists in everything from wages to health care, education and training, and access to credit and services.
Women in the Americas examines the respective roles of men and women in development--roles determined not by biology but by social, political, and economic influences that can be affected by policies and strategies. Prevailing social policies in the region often view men as income earners and women as wives and mothers, neglecting the role of women in the work force and as community leaders. In fact, between their economic, social and domestic responsibilities, women often have double or triple workdays.
Based on the central tenet that understanding gender differences is vital to development planning, Women in the Americas focuses on the status of women in social policy, the labor force, the political process, and the environment. It also examines how the concept of gender equity could be better incorporated into mainstream development policy.
Last updated: 05/08/07
