438
C. P. Finatto et al.
2 Women’s Empowerment and Sustainable Development
Empowerment can be defined as an active multi-dimensional process which helps
women to develop their identity and self-esteem in all spheres of life in due to greater
access to knowledge and resources, more autonomy in decision making, greater
ability to plan their lives, more control over the circumstances which influence lives,
and freedom from customs, beliefs, and practices (Cornwall 2016).
Individual empowerment has, as indicators, self-esteem, self-confidence and selfaffirmation, since the most successful actions are those that do not include only the
community (Malhotra et al. 2002). Regarding gender equality, this involves elevating
women through literacy, education, training and awareness (Alvarez 2013).
It is also necessary to establish the concept of gender equality. One can understand gender equality as a human right and essential for the achievement of peaceful
societies and sustainable development (Shannon et al. 2019). It is also defined as a
situation in which “all human beings are free to develop their personal skills and make
choices without the limitations established by strict gender roles; that the different
aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favored equally”
(Holzner et al. 2010, p. 5).
Gender equality is included in the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals
as the fifth goal (UN 2010). To conceptualize, the most frequently cited definition
is “the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland 1985, p. 1). In
other words, for Van Bellen (2004, p. 73), to live sustainably requires a standard of
living “within the limits imposed by nature”. It means society, in general, needs to
act in favor of the interests of future generations while trying to satisfy the current
needs to have a planet capable of supporting human activities. And Gender Equality
is an essential goal to conquer a sustainable future for the planet since it collaborates
for a better quality of life and social harmony (WEF 2016).
It is also noteworthy that sustainable development is not based on economic,
social, ecological, or institutional dimensions in isolation of each other, but on the
vision of the system as a whole. This is because the relationships between the systems
must be reallocated in a logical structure to achieve coherent sustainability (Romeiro
2012).
Stevens (2010) states that gender disparity, unquestionably, is prevalent in all
cultures in the world and that without serious measures to address it, sustainable
development cannot be achieved. Also, the author emphasizes that “an increasing
number of studies indicate that gender inequalities are extracting high economic costs
and leading to social inequities and environmental degradation worldwide” (Stevens
2010, p. 3). To this point, “gender equality is a human rights issue and a precondition
for establishing sustainable development” (Alvarez 2013, p. 85).
That said, UN-WOMEN (2019) believes that education is the most efficient way to
achieve the fifth Sustainable Development Goal, thus establishing synergy between
the fourth and fifth goals. However, it is worth mentioning that the search for gender
C. P. Finatto et al.
2 Women’s Empowerment and Sustainable Development
Empowerment can be defined as an active multi-dimensional process which helps
women to develop their identity and self-esteem in all spheres of life in due to greater
access to knowledge and resources, more autonomy in decision making, greater
ability to plan their lives, more control over the circumstances which influence lives,
and freedom from customs, beliefs, and practices (Cornwall 2016).
Individual empowerment has, as indicators, self-esteem, self-confidence and selfaffirmation, since the most successful actions are those that do not include only the
community (Malhotra et al. 2002). Regarding gender equality, this involves elevating
women through literacy, education, training and awareness (Alvarez 2013).
It is also necessary to establish the concept of gender equality. One can understand gender equality as a human right and essential for the achievement of peaceful
societies and sustainable development (Shannon et al. 2019). It is also defined as a
situation in which “all human beings are free to develop their personal skills and make
choices without the limitations established by strict gender roles; that the different
aspirations and needs of women and men are considered, valued and favored equally”
(Holzner et al. 2010, p. 5).
Gender equality is included in the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals
as the fifth goal (UN 2010). To conceptualize, the most frequently cited definition
is “the development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs” (Brundtland 1985, p. 1). In
other words, for Van Bellen (2004, p. 73), to live sustainably requires a standard of
living “within the limits imposed by nature”. It means society, in general, needs to
act in favor of the interests of future generations while trying to satisfy the current
needs to have a planet capable of supporting human activities. And Gender Equality
is an essential goal to conquer a sustainable future for the planet since it collaborates
for a better quality of life and social harmony (WEF 2016).
It is also noteworthy that sustainable development is not based on economic,
social, ecological, or institutional dimensions in isolation of each other, but on the
vision of the system as a whole. This is because the relationships between the systems
must be reallocated in a logical structure to achieve coherent sustainability (Romeiro
2012).
Stevens (2010) states that gender disparity, unquestionably, is prevalent in all
cultures in the world and that without serious measures to address it, sustainable
development cannot be achieved. Also, the author emphasizes that “an increasing
number of studies indicate that gender inequalities are extracting high economic costs
and leading to social inequities and environmental degradation worldwide” (Stevens
2010, p. 3). To this point, “gender equality is a human rights issue and a precondition
for establishing sustainable development” (Alvarez 2013, p. 85).
That said, UN-WOMEN (2019) believes that education is the most efficient way to
achieve the fifth Sustainable Development Goal, thus establishing synergy between
the fourth and fifth goals. However, it is worth mentioning that the search for gender