Achieving gender equality is necessary to further reduce poverty and inequality - Chapter 5 - Key messages

Jul 19, 2026

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Achieving gender equality is presented as a prerequisite for shared prosperity and effective poverty reduction, linking gender gaps to both direct financial costs and broad development outcomes. Drawing on international evidence, the text highlights persistent barriers in Peru for women—especially younger mothers and the most vulnerable—across health access, labor participation, decision-making, and protection from gender-based violence. It also explains how entrenched patriarchal norms continue to undermine improvements in welfare and limit progress in economic opportunities, agency, and poverty reduction.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages43

Reading Time1 h 48 min

Key messages

Gender equality and poverty reduction

Peru’s remaining gender gaps

Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized KEY MESSAGES ACHIEVING GENDER EQUALITY IS NECESSARY TO FURTHER REDUCE POVERTY AND INEQUALITY Achieving gender equality is necessary to further reduce poverty and inequality 3 • There is growing international evidence and consensus about the important associations between gender equality and poverty reduction: Gender inequality bears implications for inclusive growth and for a broad range of development outcomes. • Peruvian women, especially younger mothers and the most vulnerable, still face lower levels of access to quality health services. • There is a persistent gender gap in labor force participation that affects especially the most vulnerable women. The difficulties that women face in gaining access to economic opportunities can have implications for monetary poverty: The incidence of poverty among households with only women and children is high. • Gender inequality in decision-making within households is persistent in the country, and the presence of Peruvian women in decision-making in public spaces also remains constrained. • Gender-based violence (GBV) is a persistent challenge with negative impacts not only for the survivors and their families, but all Peruvian society. 4 Achieving gender equality is necessary to further reduce poverty and inequality 5.1. Gender equality remains a challenge for development Gender equality is important not only for its intrinsic value, but also as a prerequisite for shared prosperity and poverty reduction. Gender equality is a matter of fairness and one of the foundations of cohesive societies. Atthe sametime, there is broad consensus in the development community today that gender equality is also smart economics. A growing body of evidence from all parts of the world demonstrates that gender gaps can bear significant direct financial and opportunity costs and benefits for society. A recent World Bank report estimates, for instance, that the world could achieve a gender dividend of US$172 trillion only by closing gapsin lifetime labor earnings between women and men 1 Moreover, gender equality is a fundamental ingredient in monetary and multidimensional poverty reduction. The evidence on the large impact that gender (in)equality can have on different development outcomes is mounting.2 Gender equality can lead to improved living standards through higher human capital accumulation, higher productivity and earnings, and lower population growth, which can translate into reductions in poverty and, by benefiting women from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to a larger extent, in extreme poverty.3 A study covering 42 countries found, for instance, that women´s economic empowerment (having an income of their own) and lower poverty rates tend to go hand in hand (UN Women 2019) . Although Peru has registered substantial progress on some dimensions of gender equality over the last decades, persistent gender gaps across all dimensions of welfare continue undermining poverty reduction efforts. The country ranked 90 out of 170 countries in the UNDP Gender Inequality Index in 2021, among the highest-ranking countries in LAC (Figure 1) .4 Peru´s position has been systematically improving over the last decade or so, which is an indication of positive progress. This is particularly notable around education, where gaps have been completely closed (and are now often reversed or to the advantage of girls) . However, these and other positive developments have not yet fully translated into changes in traditional patterns in the distribution of paid work and caregiving tasks, effective access to quality economic opportunities on an equal footing with men, or stronger agency outcomes, as reflected by the incidence of gender-based violence (GBV) or women´s representation in democratic institutions. Entrenched patriarchal social norms that constrain the opportunities a

FAQs

Why is gender equality described as necessary to reduce poverty and inequality?

Because gender inequality affects inclusive growth and multiple development outcomes, generating both opportunity and financial costs while also limiting multidimensional poverty reduction.

Which groups in Peru face the most persistent disadvantages?

Peruvian women, particularly younger mothers and the most vulnerable, face lower access to quality health services and weaker economic opportunities.

What forms of inequality within Peru continue to undermine progress?

Gaps persist in labor force participation, decision-making in households and public spaces, and exposure to gender-based violence, reinforced by entrenched patriarchal social norms.

Jul 19, 2026

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