Gender and Growth: Empowering Women through Sustainability

Abstract

P
urpose: Sustainable development today may be augmented through a sustained development in the status of women in society. Equitable opportunities for women which result in their steady growth, may in turn benefit not just the economy but also the growth of the nation. This kind of development must not be limited to aiming at economic and material development of a country, but must focus on the intellectual and social development of the given country. For this, it is essential to first focus on the rights which must be granted to women in order for them to rise to an equal level as men, and be able to compete and co-work with them for the overall growth of the nation.
Findings: Indeed, women comprise of a major work-force and can contribute as a significant component of the overall labour force of a country. Thus, unless women are empowered and gain liberation of a kind that releases them of restrictions and other socio-political hurdles, they would not fully be capable of contributing to the economic development of a country.
O
riginality Value: This paper proposes that gender and growth are inextricably linked. Growth in the status of women, and the overall development of this gender in society, may lead to a kind of development that is sustained and has long-term benefits as well as longevity. Therefore, this paper suggests that empowering women through sustainability can in turn lead to sustainable development. In this, the paper shall make a study of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-5) 2015, which have released a set of 17 goals towards the attainment of sustainable development.