Title: The costs of women's unequal pay and opportunity: transforming the unbalanced structure of our economy to meet the challenges of today: climate change, poverty and the twin crises of the economy and economics

Authors: Miriam Kennet

Addresses: Green Economics Institute, 6 Strachey Close, Tidmarsh, Reading RG8 8EP, UK

Abstract: In the clamour to be green, it is often forgotten that women are more likely to be poor and earn less than men in all countries of the world. They have much less political, economic and institutional representation and are less present on the boards of the world|s companies. If green economics means social and environmental justice, then gender must be included in all claims to be |green|. This paper explores the gendered aspects of three formative aspects of the aims of green economics – poverty prevention, climate change prevention, and economic practise and reform. Highlighting gender absence, gender blindness, and gender justice, the paper explores how women are more likely to be victims of environmental change and of the economic crisis and it suggests how rebalancing of the structure of economics towards gender balance could possibly benefit everyone.

Keywords: sustainable development; environmental economics; green economics; pluralist economics; social economics; feminist economics; women|s pay; unequal pay; poverty; green growth; gender; green economy; heterodox economics; sustainability; women; climate change; economic crisis.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGE.2009.030988

International Journal of Green Economics, 2009 Vol.3 No.2, pp.107 - 129

Published online: 16 Jan 2010 *

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