The Roots of Gender Inequality in Developing Countries

Abstract

Is the high degree of gender inequality in developing countries-in education, personal autonomy, and more-explained by underdevelopment itself? Or do the societies that are poor today hold certain cultural views that lead to gender inequality? This article discusses several mechanisms through which, as countries grow, gender gaps narrow. I argue that while much of the GDP/gender-inequality relationship can be explained by the process of development, society-specific factors are also at play: Many countries that are poor today have cultural norms that exacerbate favoritism toward males. Norms such as patrilocality and concern for women's "purity" help explain the male-skewed sex ratio in India and China and low female employment in India, the Middle East, and North Africa, for example. I also discuss why the sex ratio has become more male-skewed with development. Finally, I lay out some policy approaches to address gender inequality.

Gender differences in wages and leadership

“…Gender disparities exist in health and education, in basic freedoms and autonomy, and in the distribution of bargaining power within the household [1]. Some of these gender gaps do decline with economic development; for example, as in the above case regarding educational attainment and paid labor force participation.…”

“…Male-female gaps are especially large in developing countries [1]. This phenomenon raises issues of social justice and human rights, and might also lead to substantial economic costs to society if it results in an inefficient allocation of talent and distorts the incentives to invest in human capital.…”

“…Reforms granting women equal rights have been implemented in many countries, particularly in developing countries. However, enforcement is often weak [1], [9]. The lack of access to certain positions, occupations or industries creates informational barriers for women that can contribute to the perpetuation of disparities, even in the absence of legal restrictions.…”

Women’s labor force participation

“…In these regions, women's rising educational attainment has not generally translated into higher participation rates. One recent study points to limits placed on women's mobility resulting from concerns about safety and "purity" [12].…”

Environmental livelihood security in Southeast Asia and Oceania: a water-energy-food-livelihoods nexus approach for spatially assessing change. White paper

“…In the environmental security context, this concept would acknowledge that natural resources are particularly important for the poorest and most vulnerable communities who have limited access to external services (IISD 2003). Gender inequalities across disparate outcomes in health, education and bargaining power tend to be larger in countries with low GDP per capita (Jayachandran 2014). Ellis (1999) notes that gendered differences in assets, and access to resources and opportunities are widespread across global rural development contexts (e.g., landownership amongst women is rare; access to education is more difficult for women due to gender discrimination).…”