Basic Income, Gender and Human Rights
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- University of Oxford Human Rights Hub Journal, 2020, 3, (1), pp. 68-94
- Issue Date:
- 2020-11-03
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Basic income has been a prominent policy proposal from a range of
quarters in the context of uncertainty over the future of work and the
problem of growing economic inequality. More recently it is being
considered in some countries as a possible response to the economic
fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. A basic income is an unconditional,
tax-financed, government payment provided to every member of society.
It has recently been articulated by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme
poverty and human rights, Philip Alston, as a human rights issue. It has
also been the subject of long-standing debate amongst feminists about its
likely benefit for women and gender equality. This article explores the
intersections between basic income, gender and human rights. It provides
some background to the discussion of a basic income within human rights
and within feminism before considering how a human rights lens informed
by gender might deepen the debate on basic income and contribute to the
development of social policies that address gendered poverty and
inequality. It also gives some thought to the value of a human rights
framing of basic income for the feminist project.
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