The participation of women in the contemporary lex mercatoria

Abstract

The lex mercatoria is the set of norms and practices, developed over the centuries by traders themselves, that regulate international trade. In the contemporary context, the lex mercatoria is no longer the same as it once was, but continues to evolve, influenced by various actors – especially transnational companies – and influencing the global economic order. This article seeks to explore the contribution of women in the decisions and construction of the lex mercatoria and discuss whether this, if created by women, could provide greater human development. In this context, the article presented here, seeking to implement and promote Human Rights, as well as balancing capitalism, in search of a humane and fraternal economic order, analyzes the importance of guaranteeing access to women, not only to decent work, but to the commanding position of transnational companies and their impact on sustainable development. To this end, supported by the hypothetical-deductive method, the research focused qualitatively on national and international documents and bibliography, and quantitatively on the analysis of data on women's participation in the global economic scenario. It is concluded that there is still a long way to go to achieve full female social development, so that all efforts must be made, especially by transnational companies, to insert women into leadership positions, and that is why the mention of the 2030 Agenda as an instrument assist in achieving gender equality.