Eeop Gender Equality

1. Introduction

The dynamic interplay between economic growth & equality of opportunity (EOp) is one of the most compelling topics of development economics. An increasing number of studies are investigating the degree of the correlation between economic growth & EOp. Within different grounds of EOps (i.e. age, education, income, gender, race, political/religious belief, ethnicity etc.), the equality of gender opportunity concept is well-known & considered to have instrumental influence to the prospect of economic growth. This thought is important regardless of the economic status of a country, such as developing or developed and associated with economic, educational, socio-political & cultural aspects. The aim of this study is therefore to

In a study of gender equality & growth, Braunstein (2011) argued that one of the most undeniable policy issues extended by the development practitioners now-a-days is that lack of equal gender opportunity or gender inequality is detrimental to economic growth. According to him, the clear-cut economic choice in favor of this argument is that if women do not have equal opportunity for economic activities, education & employment, the scopes for potential skilled workers, new entrepreneurs & innovators become limited & economies are deprived from productive capital. The author also pointed out that inequality of EOp (gender) tends to raise fertility, lower investments in the succeeding group of human capital and limit household productivity expansion, all of which consequently link to lower economic growth.

Braunstein (2011) citing Blackden and Bhanu’s (1999) study on Sub-Saharan Africa & East Asia exemplified that gender inequality in terms of employment and education moved per capita growth curve of Sub-Saharan Africa region by almost 0.8 percent (as cost) during the period 1960 & 1992. This difference accounts for up to 20 percent lower growth rate compared to East Asia during the same

Now a case on EU can be described for further illustration.

3. Economic growth & gender equality (of right & opportunity): Case of the EU member states

Most of the research works & empirical studies on gender equality (of rights & opportunities) have been conducted on a global scale. That means, the generated outcome is based on the observations from both developed & developing countries. However, irrespective of the status of the countries, researchers are of same opinion that gender equality plays a significant role in the growth & development of the countries (Löfström, 2009).

As gender equality is a multidimensional concept (considering social, cultural, political & economical dimensions), it is not easy to find direct relation between economic growth & gender equality of opportunity. But different benchmarks & gender equality indexes are available that are frequently used by different organization. Though different measurements are available, (i.e. GEI, SIGI & EU-SIGI) GDI (Gender-related Development Index) & GGG (Gender Gap Index) have been used for longest period of time (Löfström,