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Legal gender equality as a catalyst for convergence

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  • Sever, Can

Abstract

Despite the remarkable progress toward gender equality in the law over the last five decades, the legal environment across the world is still far from providing a level playing field for women. Based on a global sample since the 1970s, this paper finds that greater gender equality in the law facilitates cross-country income convergence over time. The results call for action and provide a reason to be optimistic. The findings imply that legal reforms supportive of gender equality, which could indeed be actionable in the shorter term, help poorer countries catch up with the living standards in the advanced economies. This offers a window of opportunity to set the stage for an inclusive and sustainable growth path in the post-Covid-19 period, given the adverse effects of the pandemic on economic growth and gender gaps.

Suggested Citation

  • Sever, Can, 2025. "Legal gender equality as a catalyst for convergence," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 376-391.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:streco:v:73:y:2025:i:c:p:376-391
    DOI: 10.1016/j.strueco.2025.02.003
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender inequality; Law; Gender discriminatory laws; Women’s empowerment; Convergence; Economic growth; Economic development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • J71 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Discrimination - - - Hiring and Firing
    • K31 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Labor Law
    • K36 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Family and Personal Law
    • K38 - Law and Economics - - Other Substantive Areas of Law - - - Human Rights Law; Gender Law; Animal Rights Law
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence

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