Gender Equality and Inclusive Growth

Proponents of inclusive growth advocate for equity considerations to be at the front and center of growth policy. However, their principal concern is with class – not gender equality. This publication shows that economic growth is an inherently gendered process and gender-based inequalities can in fact be barriers to shared prosperity. Gender equality will thus need to be central to any project of inclusion. The book argues that for growth to be gender-equitable and truly inclusive, the pattern of growth must create decent work and productive employment for women and men. This would require policy-makers to rethink the role of macro-level economic policies, including trade, industrial, macro-economic, finance and investment policies, and to adopt human rights as a guiding normative framework. The book highlights the importance of addressing unpaid care and domestic work and calls for a transformative approach that recognizes and values care work.