Conservadurismo libertario y desigualdad de género en la Argentina actual

Agostina Costantino

Authors

Agostina Costantino Universidad Nacional del Sur, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina

Keywords:

libertarian conservatism, gender inequality, Javier Milei, economic deregulation, feminist economics

Abstract

Prior to becoming president in December 2023, Javier Milei has publicly denied the existence of the gender gap, relying on the economic theories of Gary Becker. Becker, in his work "The Economics of Discrimination" (1957), argues that discrimination in the labour market is costly and that, in a context of free competition, discriminating employers would not survive due to their lack of competitiveness. This theory is a cornerstone of Milei's justification for deregulation and liberalisation of the Argentinean market.

However, the early policies implemented by Milei have had a significant negative impact on gender equity. As Naila Kabeer (2013) points out, the source of gender discrimination is based on cultural and social rather than economic factors. Feminist economics reinforces this view, highlighting that the unequal distribution of care work and the operation of the free market perpetuate women's disadvantage in terms of income and labour market insertion.

This article sets out to explain the theoretical basis for the current government's claim that gender gaps do not exist and to show the effects of the first policies implemented. Milei's government is characterised as a libertarian conservatism that not only seeks austerity and fiscal balance, but also an integral re-foundation of society and the state, establishing traditional values that relegate women to roles of care in the home and violating international treaties that prohibit the regressivity of human rights.

Deregulation measures and alliances with conservative organisations such as ACIERA and CONIN deepen this inequality, structurally affecting gender gaps and promoting a social model that reinforces discrimination against women.

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Author Biography

Agostina Costantino, Universidad Nacional del Sur, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Argentina

Investigadora del CONICET en el IIESS, docente del Departamento de Economía de la UNS

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