Empoderamiento económico femenino en el Ecuador: un análisis descriptivo.

Abstract

Abstract: Women's economic empowerment is a fundamental pillar for achieving gender equality and sustainable development in Ecuador. This research addresses the problem of persistent inequality between men and women in access to employment, income, productive resources, and leadership, despite regulatory and social advances. The purpose was to characterize and examine the current state of women's economic empowerment in the country, recognizing its main constraints and opportunities. To this end, a quantitative, descriptive, and cross-sectional approach was used, based on the review and analysis of statistical information from official sources such as the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC), the World Bank, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), and the Global Environment Facility (GEM). The results show a labor gap exceeding 20 percentage points, women's incomes up to 23% lower, limited asset ownership, and an excessive burden of unpaid work. It is concluded that, while progress has been made, women's economic empowerment requires comprehensive public policies that combine equal pay, access to financing, redistribution of domestic work, and the promotion of women's leadership.