Women's activity in developing countries
Determinants and impact on growth.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.23882/emss25158Keywords:
Women's activity, Growth, LDCs, Panel dataAbstract
Women's participation in the workforce remains lower than men's, particularly in developing countries and regions such as North Africa and South Asia. This inequality, which persists despite rising incomes, raises questions about its link with economic development and the factors that explain it (cultural, religious, structural). The study aims to analyze this relationship, testing whether the low integration of women is holding back growth, and whether variables such as religion, hydrocarbons or education influence their participation. Based on a panel of 91 developing countries (1990-2018), two econometric models are used. The first explains women's share of the workforce in terms of GDP/capita, religious affiliation, urbanization, education and the share of hydrocarbons in exports. The second models GDP/capita growth, this time including the female labor force participation rate as an explanatory variable, alongside socio-economic and institutional indicators.The regressions reveal a U-shaped relationship between female participation and GDP/capita: it decreases up to a threshold of $3,100, then increases. Religious affiliation has no significant impact, unlike hydrocarbons: a 1% increase in fossil fuel exports reduces female participation by 0.05 points. On the other hand, economic growth is not affected by the female activity rate in the models tested.
Economic development alone is not enough to reduce gender inequalities: structural factors (dependence on hydrocarbons) play a key role. Cultural and religious specificities are less decisive than assumed. Finally, low female participation does not, in itself, seem to slow down growth, which raises questions about the mechanisms by which gender equality promotes development. The study underlines the need for targeted policies (economic diversification, education, egalitarian laws) to reinforce women's economic autonomy.
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