The macroeconomics of gender equality

Abstract

This study investigates the association between gender gap and economic progress. Using a panel VAR study as well as a comprehensive gender gap index and its sub‐indices from the World Economic Forum, the study confirms the existence of bidirectional Granger causality between gender gap and economic progress, for OECD countries and developing countries. On the one hand, economic progress encourages equity for both sexes. On the other hand, gender equity helps developing nations prosper and significantly improve their human capital, which, in turn, drives long‐run economic progress. By contrast, closing the gender gap negatively affects OECD output. For the sample of developing countries, the aforementioned results are robust to sub‐indices measured by gender gap in economic participation as well as opportunity, educational attainment, and political empowerment. We recommend that gender policies specifically aim at eliminating gaps in female education.

The Impact of Gender Inequality on GDP in EU Countries

“…On the other hand, there are developing countries that, based on gender equality, use human capital more effectively, and there is significant economic progress (Ghost & Ramanayake, 2020). Gender inequality is a phenomenon that is often the result of insufficient measures on the part of public institutions.…”

Inovação ou progresso social? Uma análise dos fatores preditores para o avanço mundial da igualdade de gênero

“…A refutação de H2, por sua vez, significa que, embora diversos estudiosos tenham recentemente sinalizado que a igualdade de gênero contribui para o aumento da inovação dos países (Dai et al, 2019;Manea et al, 2021;Nadeem et al, 2020;Nielsen et al, 2018;Otero-Hermida & García-Melón, 2018;Ritter-Hayashi et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2021), aspectos culturais, políticos e sociais ainda podem impedir que nações com investimento massivo em inovação digital e infraestrutura de apoio ao desenvolvimento tecnológico usufruam de um mesmo nível de equidade de gênero encontrado em países que investem em políticas sociais, mesmo sem possuir um ecossistema de negócios voltado à inovação (Ghosh & Ramanayake, 2021;Østby et al, 2016). Relatórios internacionais recentes confirmam tal achado e indicam que, mesmo em nações com um sistema político aberto, a exemplo de Japão, França e Hungria, dentre os maiores fatores exógenos que acabam se tornando inibidores da equidade de gênero, estão aqueles atinentes ao ecossistema de inovação nesses países, principalmente pela falta de acesso a financiamento e crédito para abertura de startups por mulheres (Mastercard, 2020).…”

Innovation or social progress? An analysis of the predictors for worldwide advancement of gender equality

“…The refutation of H2, in turn, means that although several scholars have recently signalled that gender equality contributes to an increase in innovation in countries (Dai et al, 2019;Manea et al, 2021;Nadeem et al, 2020;Nielsen et al, 2018;Otero-Hermida & García-Melón, 2018;Ritter-Hayashi et al, 2019;Wu et al, 2021), 2021), cultural, political, and social aspects can still prevent nations that support technological development with massive investment in digital innovation and infrastructure from enjoying the same level of gender equity found in countries that invest in social policies, even without an innovation-orientated business ecosystem (Ghosh & Ramanayake, 2021;Østby et al, 2016). Recent international reports confirm this finding and indicate that, even in nations with an open political system, such as Japan, France, and Hungary, the innovation ecosystem found in these countries are among the most significant exogenous factors that end up inhibiting gender equality, mainly due to the lack of access to funding and credit for women to open start-ups (Mastercard, 2020).…”