Gender Equality and Economic Diversification

By Romina Kazandjian, Lisa L Kolovich, Kalpana Kochhar, Monique Newiak

July 14, 2016

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Romina Kazandjian, Lisa L Kolovich, Kalpana Kochhar, and Monique Newiak. Gender Equality and Economic Diversification, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2016) accessed September 26, 2024

Disclaimer: This Working Paper should not be reported as representing the views of the IMF.The views expressed in this Working Paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the IMF or IMF policy. Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to further debate

Summary

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.

Subject: Export diversification, Gender, Gender diversity, Gender inequality, Human capital, International trade, Labor, Labor force participation, Women

Keywords: Economic diversification, Economic growth, Export diversification, Export diversification, Export product diversification, Female labor force participation, Gender diversity, Gender inequality, Globalization Index, Human capital, Low-income and developing countries, Output diversification, Theil index, Women, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

29
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2016/140
Stock No:

WPIEA2016140
ISBN:

9781498367738
ISSN:

1018-5941

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