Does a Higher Standard of Living Support Traditional Gender Roles in the Labor Market?

Kamala Babayeva Mustafayeva ()
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Kamala Babayeva Mustafayeva: Charles University, Prague, Czechia

No 2026/17, Working Papers IES from Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies

Abstract: This paper examines the relationship between economic development and gender gaps in labor-force participation in Southeastern European countries. Using panel data for nine countries over the period 2000–2023, the study estimates fixed-effects models with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors to analyze how gross national income (GNI) per capita is associated with labor-market gender gaps while controlling for fertility, gender norms, and persistence in past gender gaps. The results indicate a positive and statistically significant relationship between economic development and the gender gap in labor-force participation. Overall, the findings suggest that economic development alone may not necessarily lead to narrower labor-market gender gaps, particularly in contexts characterized by persistent household specialization patterns and traditional gender roles.

Keywords: economic development; gender gap; labor force participation; gender norms; Southeastern Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J21 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 23 pages
Date: 2026-07, Revised 2026-07
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:fau:wpaper:wp2026_17

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