XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology (July 13-19, 2014)

July 13 - 19, 2014

545

Gendering Brics: To What Extent and How Have Economic Growth and Economic Development Been Translated into Increased Gender Equality in Emerging World Economies?

RC32 Women in Society (host committee)

Language: English

In the last decade the five BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa –gained increasing world recognition as emerging powers, distinguished by their large, fast-growing economies and significant influence on regional and global affairs. A lot of attention has been given to the fact that, as of 2013, the BRICS countries represent almost 3 billion people, with a combined nominal GDP of US$14.9 trillion. Not much has been said, however, about the impact of economic growth on the reduction of poverty and inequality in general, and very little we know about the extent to which economic growth has translated into greater gender equality. This session will look into the relationship between economic development and gender equality in the BRICS countries by asking: What have been the gains for women in education, labor force participation, employment sector (formal/informal), type of work (paid/unpaid), equal pay, occupational desegregation, access to top level positions, and the domestic division of labor? To what extent have gains led to greater equality between gender and among gender (among women on the basis of class, race, and ethnicity)? Moreover, moving beyond the description of the current domestic market and labor positions of women and men in the BRICS economies, this session will seek to develop a cross-country comparative approach of the factors that might explain gender inequality within and among BRICS such as economic variables (development models, growth rates, gendered economic globalization processes), political-institutional factors (type of state, social policies, labor relations, women’s movements agendas and influence), and value orientations (traditional versus modern attitudes towards gender roles).