Introduction

Gender relations are fundamental to a study of the history of Latin American inequality. It is well-known and documented that in Latin America the problem of inequality is the worst in the world. This chapter surveys extensive literature on gender, growth and development and discusses a brief overview of the history of inequality in general in Latin America. Economic growth will only promote gender equality after policy makers intervene to correct the gender biases that accompany the initial stages of development by promoting greater education among women, eliminating distortions in labour markets, and altering property laws. A strong finding in the literature is that gender inequality in education has a direct impact on economic growth through lowering the average quality of human capital. In Latin American countries too women's labour force participation has increased in the course of the twentieth century, although with differences between countries. The chapter also presents the overview of this book.