Tapping the Sustainable Development Goals for progressive gender equity and equality policy?
This article examines the new agenda for sustainable development adopted by the United Nations, to see if it contains policies for gender equity and equality as well as for sustainable development in tune with planetary boundaries. It finds that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not ambitious and lack a systematic policy approach. It therefore examines other internationally agreed conventions that address gender equality and sustainable development concerns, and contain policies. I examine the universe of policies needed to make sustainable gender equality real, for all women, going beyond the current economistic rationale. The article concentrates on several ‘domains’ widely considered to be core to the empowerment of women: namely work and incomes, access to health services, and the environment. I conclude by arguing that, by incorporating other, more progressive conventions and declarations, the SDGs can be used creatively and subversively, to move towards gender and climate justice.
