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Does Gender Matter for Economic Convergence? The OECD Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Dilara Kýlýnç

    (Department of Economics, Izmir University of Economics)

  • Ý. Hakan Yetkiner

    (Department of Economics, Izmir University of Economics)

Abstract

This work studies the role of gender on economic convergence in a standard convergence model expanded by gender shares of labor force. The theoretical part of the paper shows the positive role of gender on economic growth. Next, the paper presents 5-year span panel data tests of the contribution of the female share in employment on economic growth for 34 OECD countries in the period 1951-2010. We find that an increase in the share of women has a positive contribution to economic convergence across OECD countries. In addition to this, we also show that there is a U-shaped curvilinear relationship between gender equality and economic growth for OECD countries in the period 1951-2010. We conjecture that this result coincides with the ‘S-shaped’ Kuznets Curve of Gender hypothesis.

Suggested Citation

  • Dilara Kýlýnç & Ý. Hakan Yetkiner, 2013. "Does Gender Matter for Economic Convergence? The OECD Evidence," Working Papers 1302, Izmir University of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:izm:wpaper:1302
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender; Income Convergence; Economic Growth; Kuznets Curve of Gender;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • O50 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - General
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models

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