ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the degree of gender equality (GE) in Uruguay and its legal development in terms of labor force participation, use of time, political participation, reproductive and civil rights, and its legal development. The Gender Inequality Index (GII) reflects gender-based inequalities in three dimensions—reproductive health, empowerment, and economic activity. To analyze the evolution of women's status and gender equality in the country it is necessary to go back to the beginning of the 20th century. The recognition of women's civil rights and the progress in the area of labor legislation were oriented to safeguard their role in the households. Labor segregation and gender wage gaps are structural characteristics of the labor market of Uruguay and they are closely related. The National Caring System (SNC) aims at promoting the co-responsibility between different institutional agents, market regulations and promotes the redistribution of caring services among men and women within the households.
