BRICS SHOULD ADOPT INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO WOMEN

The document evaluates women's empowerment in BRICS countries using World Economic Forum criteria, highlighting significant disparities in political representation, economic opportunity, and health. It argues against treating gender as a standalone issue, suggesting instead that the BRICS Gender and Women’s Forum should mainstream gender perspectives into the bloc's core agendas, including technological disruption, UN-aligned peacekeeping, and vaccine research platforms.

• Based on the 2017 World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report, South Africa holds the highest overall ranking among BRICS nations (19th), followed by Russia (71st), Brazil (90th), China (100th), and India (108th).
• Significant wage gaps persist in several BRICS countries; Brazilian women earn an estimated 23% less than men, and South African women earn 27% less than men.
• India faces unique challenges where the caste system and patriarchy combine to limit women's access to the formal economy, and the country continues to rank fourth-lowest globally in its health index.
• China has closed its gender gap in professional and technical employment, but faces a long-term structural gender imbalance due to a cultural preference for boys linked to the One Child Policy.
• The Fourth Industrial Revolution poses a dual risk and opportunity for women in BRICS; while automation threatens millions of assembly jobs (particularly in China), women with STEM skills and entrepreneurs are seeing significant gains.
• Integrating women into peacekeeping and negotiation processes significantly increases the longevity of peace initiatives, with a 20% higher likelihood of lasting two years and a 35% higher likelihood of lasting 15 years.
• The success of vaccination campaigns is directly correlated to maternal education levels and the socio-economic welfare of women, who predominantly manage healthcare decisions for children.

APA

VAN STADEN, C., & MPUNGOSE, L. (2018). BRICS SHOULD ADOPT INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO WOMEN. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Policy-Insights-63.pdf

Chicago

VAN STADEN, COBUS, and LUANDA MPUNGOSE. BRICS SHOULD ADOPT INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO WOMEN. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2018. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Policy-Insights-63.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=VAN STADEN |first1=COBUS |last2=MPUNGOSE |first2=LUANDA |title=BRICS SHOULD ADOPT INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO WOMEN |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=July 2018 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Policy-Insights-63.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vanstaden2018brics, author = {VAN STADEN, COBUS and MPUNGOSE, LUANDA}, title = {{BRICS SHOULD ADOPT INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO WOMEN}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Policy-Insights-63.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }