Equality and women’s autonomy in the sustainable development agenda Equality and women’s autonomy in the sustainable development agenda Equality and women’s autonomy in the sustainable development agenda Alicia Bárcena Executive Secretary Antonio Prado Deputy Executive Secretary María Nieves Rico Chief, Division for Gender Affairs Ricardo Pérez Chief, Publications and Web Services Division This document was prepared by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), for presentation at the thirteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean (Montevideo, 25-28 October 2016). María Nieves Rico, Chief of the Division for Gender Affairs of ECLAC, was responsible for the overall coordination of the document. The drafting work was carried out by: María Nieves Rico, Lucía Scuro, Alejandra Valdés and Pamela Villalobos of the Division for Gender Affairs of ECLAC. The following staff members and consultants of the Division provided substantive inputs, statistical processing or valuable comments: Verónica Aranda, María Cristina Benavente, Nicole Bidegain, Andrés Espejo, Natalia Gherardi, Ana Cristina González, Flavia Marco, Antonin Menegaux, Laura Pautassi, Gwendoline Peltier, Claudia Robles, Miguel Sevilla, Vivian Souza, Ana Stefanovic and Iliana Vaca-Trigo. The authors are grateful for comments and contributions provided by Laís Abramo, Chief of the Social Development Division of ECLAC; Verónica Amarante, Chief of the ECLAC office in Montevideo; Pablo Yanes, Research Coordinator at the ECLAC subregional headquarters in Mexico; Jorge Rodríguez and Jorge Martínez of the Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre (CELADE)-Population Division of ECLAC; Daniela Trucco and Heidi Ullman of the Social Development Division of ECLAC; Marcela Ríos, Governance Programme Officer, and Elizabeth Guerrero, Gender Adviser, both of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and the Americas and the Caribbean Regional Office of UN-Women. Valuable contributions were also made to the document by ministers and high-level authorities of machineries for the advancement of women in Latin America and the Caribbean at the meetings held in preparation for the thirteenth session of the Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean with the countries of Central America and Mexico (Mexico City, 2-3 June 2016), the countries of South America (Santiago, 4-5 July 2016), and the countries of the Caribbean (Port of Spain, 26-27 July 2016). Finally, thanks are expressed for the contribution of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Government of Norway and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Distr.: General • LC/G.2686/Rev.1 • December 2016 • Original: Spanish • S.16-01247 © United Nations • Printed at United Nations, Santiago Applications for authorization to reproduce this work in whole or in part should be sent to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Publications and Web Services Division, [email protected]. Member States and their governmental institutions may reproduce this work without prior authorization, but are requested to mention the source and to inform ECLAC of such reproduction. Equality and women’s autonomy in the sustainable development agenda Contents Foreword .......................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter I From the integration of women into development to sustainable development with gender equality .............................. 11 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 13 A. Milestones in constructing the regional gender agenda ......................................................................................... 15 B. Components of the regional gender agenda .......................................................................................................... 17 1. Approaches that guide public policies ............................................................................................................ 19 2. Critical dimensions for women’s autonomy and the exercise and guarantee of their rights ............................. 23 3. Implementation pillars .................................................................................................................................... 24 C. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the regional gender agenda: virtuous confluences and linkage opportunities .................................................................................................... 28 1. Structural challenges for development with gender equality and sustainability ............................................... 31 2. The financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, economic slowdown and women’s rights ........................................................................................................................................ 32 3. Means of implementation ............................................................................................................................... 33 4. The 2030 Agenda and women’s autonomy .................................................................................................... 33 Chapter II Distributive equality and economic autonomy................................................................................................................ 35 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 37 A. No economic autonomy for women without overcoming poverty ........................................................................ 38 1. More women among the poor ........................................................................................................................ 39 2. Own income is not enough ............................................................................................................................ 42 B. The minimum wage: a labour institution that contributes to women’s economic autonomy ................................. 48 1. Impact of establishing a basic income for women .......................................................................................... 50 C. The care economy: an integrated process of production and reproduction ........................................................... 51 1. Making the invisible visible ............................................................................................................................ 52 2. Public policy and the care economy .............................................................................................................. 53 D. Income and time use: domestic and care work at the heart of the equation .......................................................... 55 1. Shorter working hours for all: a key to shared responsibility for care............................................................... 59 E. Discrimination and inequality in the labour market .............................................................................................. 60 1. Disconnect between education and paid work ............................................................................................... 60 2. Stubborn labour market segmentation ............................................................................................................ 64 F. Social protection biases and deficits ..................................................................................................................... 67 1. Pension systems and inadequate coverage of women ..................................................................................... 68 G. Natural resources and production assets: obstacles to women’s access and control .............................................. 71 1. The exclusion of rural women ........................................................................................................................ 71 2. Barriers to accessing production and financial assets ...................................................................................... 76 Contents 3 Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Chapter III Physical autonomy, freedom and rights ........................................................................................................................... 79 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................................... 81 A. The right to health and a full life ........................................................................................................................... 83 1. Child mothers: child and adolescent motherhood .......................................................................................... 84 2. The inclusion and empowerment of women with disabilities ......................................................................... 90 3. Women are more vulnerable to extreme events .............................................................................................. 92 B. The right to a life free of violence ........................................................................................................................