Report on the State of Women’s Economic and Social Autonomy in Relation to the Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: Regression in Gender Equality and its Implications for the 2030 Agenda

Recent socio-legal developments, such as the Dobbs decision in the United States, represent a significant regression in women’s rights and autonomy. This trend poses a direct threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5: Gender Equality. The diminishing of individual choice and the rise of anti-feminist rhetoric undermine the foundational principles of women’s full participation in society. This report analyzes the structural barriers, historical context, and ideological challenges that impede progress towards gender equality, decent work, and reduced inequalities.

Analysis of Socio-Economic Barriers to Gender Equality (SDG 5)

Unpaid Care Work: A Core Obstacle to Economic Empowerment

The disproportionate burden of unpaid care and domestic work on women remains a primary barrier to achieving gender equality and economic justice. This reality directly contravenes the objective of SDG 5.4, which calls for the recognition, reduction, and redistribution of unpaid care work. Sociologist Jessica Calarco’s research in Holding It Together illustrates how policy and social conditioning combine to designate women as the nation’s primary caregivers, often at the expense of their well-being and economic independence. This systemic issue perpetuates a cycle of dependency and limits women’s access to decent work, directly impacting progress on several SDGs.

• SDG 1 (No Poverty): Economic dependence, as exemplified by the case studies of Audrey and Sierra, demonstrates how the lack of personal income and reliance on a partner or inadequate welfare can trap women and their children in poverty. Audrey’s inability to leave an abusive relationship due to over $40,000 in debt and no independent income highlights this vulnerability.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): The failure to value domestic labor excludes a significant portion of women’s work from economic calculations. This prevents women from achieving economic autonomy and participating fully in the labor market, thus hindering inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): The narrative of Audrey, who experienced non-consensual impregnation and was unable to access reproductive choices due to social and economic pressure, underscores the critical link between economic autonomy and the fulfillment of SDG 3.7 (ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health-care services).

Structural Failures and the “DIY Society”

The societal framework, described as a “DIY society,” relies on the uncompensated labor of women to function as a de facto social safety net. This structure institutionalizes gender inequality, working against SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Without robust public services, childcare, and elder care, the responsibility defaults to women, restricting their choices and ambitions. This systemic flaw ensures that even when men participate more in household work, a significant gap persists, which women are expected to fill.

Historical Context: The Wages for Housework Movement and its Relevance to the SDGs

A Radical Critique of Economic Systems

The Wages for Housework movement of the 1970s offered a foundational critique of a global capitalist system that fails to recognize domestic labor. This historical movement’s objectives align closely with modern SDG frameworks.

1. Valuing Unpaid Work (SDG 5.4): As articulated by scholar Silvia Federici, the movement sought to challenge the perception of housework as a “natural attribute” of women. Demanding a wage was a strategy to make this invisible work visible and valued, a core tenet of SDG 5.4.
2. Promoting Decent Work (SDG 8): By demanding remuneration, the campaign framed housework as labor, not an act of love or service. This reframing is essential for achieving SDG 8, which advocates for productive employment and decent work for all.
3. Reducing Inequality (SDG 10): The movement identified the economic dependence of the housewife as a key driver of inequality. As historian Emily Callaci notes, activists like Wilmette Brown connected this struggle to broader fights for self-determination and reparations, linking gender inequality with racial and colonial injustices, in line with the comprehensive goals of SDG 10.

The Enduring Legacy and Modern Applications

While the campaign for a literal wage for housework has faded, its principles continue to influence contemporary struggles for economic justice. The movement’s vision of autonomy—not as isolation but as collective self-determination through communal support systems—provides a blueprint for achieving the SDGs. Modern proposals influenced by this thinking include:

• Universal Basic Income (UBI)
• Investment in public care infrastructure (nurseries, elder-care homes)

– The decriminalization of sex work

• Protests against austerity measures that disproportionately harm women

Contemporary Ideological Challenges to Sustainable Development

The Rejection of Female Autonomy and its Opposition to SDG 5

A resurgence of traditionalist ideology directly opposes the targets of SDG 5. Narratives promoting “tradwives” and framing female ambition as unnatural seek to confine women to domestic roles. This viewpoint explicitly rejects female autonomy, a prerequisite for achieving gender equality.

• Statements that women who prioritize careers are “meddlesome and quarrelsome” or that motherhood is more important than a career directly undermine SDG 5.5 (ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership).
• Arguments against reproductive rights, framed as a necessary “sacrifice of motherhood,” are in direct conflict with SDG 5.6 (ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights).

Inadequacy of Limited Policy Solutions

Policy proposals such as one-time “baby bonuses” or “caregiver credits,” while acknowledging the existence of care work, fail to address the underlying structural inequalities. Such measures risk reinforcing the gendered division of labor rather than promoting the shared responsibility advocated for in SDG 5.4. They do not provide the sustained economic independence necessary to achieve SDG 1 and SDG 8 and fall short of the transformative change required by the 2030 Agenda.

Conclusion: The Imperative of Structural Transformation for the 2030 Agenda

Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals requires moving beyond individual choices and addressing the systemic constraints that limit women’s autonomy. The continued perception of caregiving as a “feminine” responsibility prevents progress on gender equality, poverty reduction, and sustainable economic growth. True self-determination for women is not an abstract concept but a material necessity for building a just and sustainable world. The principles of the Wages for Housework movement—demanding recognition, remuneration, and redistribution of care work—remain critically relevant. A revolutionary reordering of social and economic priorities is essential to ensure that women are not merely instruments for the well-being of others, but are recognized as full and equal persons, a condition necessary for the success of the entire 2030 Agenda.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article addresses several interconnected Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by focusing on the systemic challenges women face regarding unpaid labor, economic dependence, and social expectations.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality: This is the central theme of the article. It directly discusses the fight against gender-based discrimination, the unequal burden of unpaid domestic and care work on women, the struggle for reproductive rights (mentioning the Dobbs decision), and the lack of women’s autonomy and economic power. The “Wages for Housework” movement is presented as a direct challenge to gender inequality.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth: The article explores the nature of work, particularly the economic invisibility of housework and caregiving. It contrasts unpaid domestic labor with waged work, highlighting how women are often relegated to the former, which lacks recognition and remuneration. The story of Sierra working a low-wage fast-food job for less than $1,000 a month also points to issues of decent work and fair pay.
• SDG 1: No Poverty: The article connects gender inequality and the lack of economic opportunity to poverty. Sierra’s experience is a clear example; despite working and receiving government benefits like WIC and welfare, she could not escape poverty. Audrey’s financial precarity, with over $40,000 in debt, traps her in an abusive relationship, demonstrating how economic vulnerability is a barrier to safety and well-being.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article critiques the structural inequalities between men and women. It highlights how social conditioning, policy, and economic systems perpetuate a “hoary old hierarchy” where women perform essential caregiving roles without power or pay, while men are the primary breadwinners. This creates deep-seated social and economic disparities.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article touches upon women’s health and well-being, particularly in the context of reproductive rights and mental health. It mentions the loss of abortion rights and Audrey’s story, where her husband’s refusal to use contraception leads to a non-consensual pregnancy. Her struggle with postpartum depression, which was alleviated by her paid job, further links economic autonomy to mental well-being.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Several specific SDG targets are directly relevant to the issues and solutions discussed in the article.

1. Target 5.4: Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family. The entire premise of the “Wages for Housework” movement, as detailed in the article, is a call to recognize and value this work. The text states, “a discrepancy persists, and women make up the difference” in household labor, directly addressing the need for shared responsibility.
2. Target 5.6: Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. The article explicitly references the assault on legal abortion after the Dobbs decision. Audrey’s story is a powerful illustration of this target’s relevance, as she is unable to exercise control over her own reproductive choices when her husband refuses contraception and impregnates her against her will.
3. Target 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources. The article highlights how women lack economic power, particularly housewives who are financially dependent. Audrey’s fear that she “can’t afford to leave Colby” due to her debts and lack of income is a direct consequence of not having equal rights to economic resources and financial independence.
4. Target 1.3: Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all… and achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable. The article critiques the existing social safety net, noting that for Sierra, benefits “weren’t enough to lift her out of poverty.” It also discusses the lack of a “functional safety net” in America, which forces women to become the default caregivers at their own expense.
5. Target 10.4: Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality. The article mentions several policy proposals aimed at addressing the economic inequality stemming from unpaid care work. These include a “tax credit for family caregiving,” “caregiver credits,” a “baby bonus,” and a “guaranteed basic income,” all of which are policies designed to achieve greater equality.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

While the article does not cite specific statistical indicators, it provides qualitative and narrative evidence that directly relates to official SDG indicators.

• Implied Indicator for Target 5.4 (Indicator 5.4.1: Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work): The article implies this indicator by stating that while “American men do more household work than ever before, a discrepancy persists, and women make up the difference.” This points to an unequal distribution of time spent on unpaid labor, which is precisely what this indicator measures.
• Implied Indicator for Target 5.6 (Indicator 5.6.1: Proportion of women who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care): Audrey’s narrative serves as a qualitative case study for this indicator. Her statement, “It’s very clear that it wasn’t something I was okay with… It wasn’t something that I consented to,” regarding the act that led to her pregnancy, directly reflects a lack of autonomy in decisions about contraceptive use and sexual relations.
• Implied Indicator for Target 1.3 (Indicator 1.3.1: Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems): The story of Sierra implies a gap in the effectiveness of social protection. The fact that she qualified for WIC, welfare, and Medicaid but these benefits “weren’t enough to lift her out of poverty” suggests that the social protection system is not providing substantial coverage or adequate support to the vulnerable.
• Implied Indicator for Target 8.5 (Indicator 8.5.1: Average hourly earnings of female and male employees): The article points to the gender pay gap and low wages for women through Sierra’s experience of earning “less than $1,000 a month” from her fast-food job. More profoundly, the core argument for “Wages for Housework” highlights the ultimate pay gap, where essential domestic labor is valued at zero dollars, an issue that this indicator, when expanded to include all forms of work, seeks to address.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nymag.com