Exploring the Sources of the Agricultural Productivity Gender Gap : Evidence from Sri Lanka

Previous literature found overwhelming evidence of an agricultural gender gap in favorof male farmers. The case of Sri Lanka is unique as agricultural productivity, measured by yield per unit ofland, is 25.4 percent higher among female farmers than male farmers. Using the nationally representative 2016 Sri LankaHousehold Income and Expenditure Survey and the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition technique, the paper exploresthe sources of this unconditional female productivity advantage. The analysis finds that the smaller plot sizecultivated by women is the leading source of female productivity advantage, reflecting the inverse relationshipbetween cultivated area and productivity. However, this productivity advantage does not translate into women’shigher crop earnings. Another important source is the gendered pattern of crop mix as women tend to cultivate morehigh-value, export-oriented crops, while men are more likely to grow paddy with low productivity. Once controlling forplot size and crop mix, a conditional male productivity advantage emerges, reflecting men’s greater access toagricultural resources and potentially an unequal pattern of division of labor associated with social and gender norms.Policies to promote equitable access to resources and address other constraints to women’s productivity inagriculture continue to be important in promoting gender equality.