Cooperating for a more egalitarian society: Complexity theory to evaluate gender equity

Evaluating gender equity involves the assessment of the equality of opportunities and the equality of outcomes that public policies seek to attain for women and men. It focuses on how and to what extent both genders cooperate to expand access to paid work and control over material resources while sharing care and reproductive responsibilities. Drawing on complexity theory, this article puts forward a theoretical framework to identify cooperative behaviors within the household and the workplace as well as within broader socioeconomic, political and institutional domains.