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Allocation of Female Talent and Cross-Country Productivity Differences

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  • Munseob Lee

Abstract

Cross-country disparities in labour productivity are more pronounced in agriculture than other sectors. I posit that the misallocation of female talent between sectors distorts productivity and formalise a general equilibrium Roy model with gender-specific frictions. If female workers encounter greater barriers in non-agricultural sectors, female workers who are better skilled at non-agricultural jobs may select into the agricultural sector. Analysis of data from sixty-six countries reveals that low-income countries have higher frictions against female workers in non-agricultural sectors. By aligning these frictions with those of the United States, agricultural labour productivity sees gains of 2.5%–7.6%, with GDP per capita rising by 0.5%–1.5% on average.

Suggested Citation

  • Munseob Lee, 2024. "Allocation of Female Talent and Cross-Country Productivity Differences," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 134(664), pages 3333-3359.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:econjl:v:134:y:2024:i:664:p:3333-3359.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/ej/ueae056
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    Cited by:

    1. Jay Euijung Lee, 2025. "Marriage and misallocation: evidence from 70 years of US history," CEP Discussion Papers dp2119, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    2. Beugelsdijk, Sjoerd & Gelfand, Michele J. & Kleinhempel, Johannes, 2025. "Evolving patterns of gender inequality over time and across countries," MPRA Paper 126842, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. L. Rachel Ngai & Claudia Olivetti & Barbara Petrongolo, 2024. "Gendered change: 150 years of transformation in US hours," Economics Series Working Papers 1046, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    4. Lindsey Uniat, 2026. "The Quiet Revolution and the Decline of Routine Jobs," Working Paper Series 2026-01, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.
    5. Klaus W. Deininger & Thea Hilhorst & Zevenbergen,Jaap & Nkurunziza,Emmanuel, 2025. "Capitalizing on Digital Transformation to Enhance the Effectiveness of Property Institutions : Conceptual Background and Evidence from 85 Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11100, The World Bank.
    6. Cao, Huoqing & Chen, Chaoran & Xi, Xican, 2024. "Home Production and Gender Gap in Structural Change," MPRA Paper 122334, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Chiplunkar,Gaurav & Tatjana Kleineberg, 2025. "Gender Barriers, Structural Transformation, and Economic Development," Policy Research Working Paper Series 11083, The World Bank.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • 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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