An Overview of Gender Inequality in Latin America from a Political Economy Perspective

Abstract

This article explains what shapes the gender dimension of economic inequalities in Latin America from the perspective of political economy. In order to do so, we follow Frank Stilwell's (2012) framework and use the model of the circuit of capital proposed by Marx and situate gender in the sequential conditions for capital accumulation. In this context, gender inequalities are seen as functional to the accumulation of capital since they help meeting three of the requirements for its expansion, namely the reproduction of labor power, the production of surplus value, and the realization of surplus value. Therefore, we conclude that non-coordinated efforts, claims for inclusion, and the invocation of specific differences are far from solving the problem of gender inequality if they are not part of a broader effort that understands the structural nature of the issue. Additionally, we emphasize the specific conditions that differentiate the situation of women in this region from elsewhere, as well as the cultural and institutional characteristics that have contributed to the relegation of women in Latin America over time.