Breaking Gender Gaps in APEC Economies through Public Policies

Abstract

Why is it necessary to break with gender inequality and what is the relationship with public policies? ¿Is there an answer to that? The economies that make up the Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) begin the third decade of the 21st  century with great challenges. ‘Gender Equality´   is one of the challenges to be achieved in order to comply with the 2030 Agenda and ‘leave no one behind´, within the framework of a recession scenario with profound technological change based on an unequal economic structure and each more digital. Therefore, we will focus on an analysis of some indicators that allow us to demonstrate gender gaps mainly about employment. Opening a discussion space to break down barriers and favor ‘gender equality´   in the countries that make up APEC is the interest of the current opinion. Beyond the cultural patterns that do not allow the economic empowerment of women, analyzing gender gaps form the perspective of public policies is the task and responsibility of the academy, international organizations, civil society and the State. First, we discuss the importance of achieving gender equality to achieve sustained development; second the characterization of women’s employment through  different indicators; finally, the digital economy and public political needs to favor women from the perspective of the feminist economy.