Gender Equality and Economic Diversification

Romina Kazandjian (), Lisa Kolovich, Kalpana Kochhar and Monique Newiak
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Lisa Kolovich: International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington, DC 20431, USA
Kalpana Kochhar: International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington, DC 20431, USA
Monique Newiak: International Monetary Fund (IMF), Washington, DC 20431, USA

Social Sciences, 2019, vol. 8, issue 4, 1-24

Abstract: We show that gender inequality decreases the variety of goods countries produce and export, in particular in low-income and developing countries. We argue that this happens through at least two channels: first, gender gaps in opportunity, such as lower educational enrollment rates for girls than for boys, harm diversification by constraining the potential pool of human capital available in an economy. Second, gender gaps in the labor market impede the development of new ideas by decreasing the efficiency of the labor force. Our empirical estimates support these hypotheses, providing evidence that gender-friendly policies could help countries diversify their economies.

Keywords: gender inequality; female labor force participation; economic diversification; economic growth; human capital; low-income and developing countries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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