IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/taf/femeco/v22y2016i1p295-321.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Gender Equality, Economic Growth, and Women's Agency: the "Endless Variety" and "Monotonous Similarity" of Patriarchal Constraints

Author

Listed:
  • Naila Kabeer

Abstract

Macroeconometric studies generally find fairly robust evidence that gender equality has a positive impact on economic growth, but reverse findings relating to the impact of economic growth on gender equality are far less consistent. The high level of aggregation at which these studies are carried out makes it difficult to ascertain the causal pathways that might explain this asymmetry in impacts. Using a feminist institutional framework, this contribution explores studies carried out at lower levels of analysis for insights into the pathways likely to be driving these two sets of relationships and a possible explanation for their asymmetry.

Suggested Citation

  • Naila Kabeer, 2016. "Gender Equality, Economic Growth, and Women's Agency: the "Endless Variety" and "Monotonous Similarity" of Patriarchal Constraints," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 295-321, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:22:y:2016:i:1:p:295-321
    DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2015.1090009
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1080/13545701.2015.1090009
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1080/13545701.2015.1090009?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anker, Richard,, 2005. "Women's access to occupations with authority, influence and decision- making power," ILO Working Papers 993833983402676, International Labour Organization.
    2. Florent Bédécarrats & Isabelle Guérin & François Roubaud, 2015. "The gold standard for randomised evaluations: from discussion of method to political economics," Working Papers CEB 15-009, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    3. Heath, Rachel & Mushfiq Mobarak, A., 2015. "Manufacturing growth and the lives of Bangladeshi women," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 1-15.
    4. Anker, Richard, & Melkas, Helinä. & Korten, Ailsa., 2003. "Gender-based occupational segregation in the 1990s," ILO Working Papers 993665943402676, International Labour Organization.
    5. Yueping Song & Xiao-Yuan Dong, 2013. "Gender and Occupational Mobility in Urban China during the Economic Transition," Research in Labor Economics, in: Labor Market Issues in China, pages 93-122, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    6. repec:ilo:ilowps:383398 is not listed on IDEAS
    7. James Heintz, 2005. "Employment, Poverty, and Gender in Ghana," Working Papers wp92, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    8. repec:ilo:ilowps:366594 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. repec:ilo:ilowps:483489 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. James Heintz, 2006. "Globalization, Economic policy and Employment: Poverty and Gender Implications," Published Studies heintz_gender, Political Economy Research Institute, University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
    11. Seguino, Stephanie & Braunstein, Elissa, 2012. "The impact of economic policy and structural change on gender employment inequality in Latin America, 1990-2010," MPRA Paper 43261, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Rahman, Rushidan I. & Islam, Rizwanul., 2013. "Female labour force participation in Bangladesh : trends, drivers and barriers," ILO Working Papers 994834893402676, International Labour Organization.
    13. World Bank, 2012. "World Development Report 2012 [Rapport sur le développement dans le monde 2012]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 4391, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Lutfun Nahar Lata & Peter Walters & Sonia Roitman, 2021. "The politics of gendered space: Social norms and purdah affecting female informal work in Dhaka, Bangladesh," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 318-336, January.
    2. San Vicente Portes, Luis & Atal, Vidya & Juárez Torres, Miriam, 2019. "From households to national statistics: Macroeconomic effects of Women's empowerment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 286-294.
    3. Manuel Santos Silva & Stephan Klasen, 2021. "Gender inequality as a barrier to economic growth: a review of the theoretical literature," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 581-614, September.
    4. Haroon Ur Rashid Khan & Anwar Khan & Khalid Zaman & Agha Amad Nabi & Sanil S. Hishan & Talat Islam, 2017. "Gender discrimination in education, health, and labour market: a voice for equality," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 51(5), pages 2245-2266, September.
    5. Neetu A. John & Kirsten Stoebenau & Samantha Ritter & Jeffrey Edmeades & Nikola Balvin & UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, 2017. "Gender Socialization during Adolescence in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Conceptualization, influences and outcomes," Papers indipa885, Innocenti Discussion Papers.
    6. Amit Nandan & Hrushikesh Mallick, 2020. "Does Gender Equality Matter for Regional Growth and Income Inequality? An Empirical Analysis for the Indian States," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(4), pages 439-469, May.
    7. Stumbitz, Bianca & Lewis, Suzan & Kyei, Abigail A. & Lyon, Fergus, 2018. "Maternity protection in formal and informal economy workplaces: The case of Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 373-384.
    8. Yokying, Phanwin & Lambrecht, Isabel, 2020. "Landownership and the gender gap in agriculture: Insights from northern Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ghani,Syed Ejaz & Grover,Arti & Kerr,Sari & Kerr,William Robert, 2016. "Will market competition trump gender discrimination in India ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7814, The World Bank.
    2. Amrit Amirapu & M Niaz Asadullah & Zaki Wahhaj, 2018. "Marriage, Work and Migration: The Role of Infrastructure Development and Gender Norms," Studies in Economics 1810, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    3. Lars Ivar Oppedal Berge & Kjetil Bjorvatn & Amina Mohamed Maalim & Vincent Somville & Bertil Tungodden, 2017. "Reducing early pregnancy in low-income countries: A literature review and new evidence," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2017-133, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. Pignatti, Norberto & Torosyan, Karine & Chitanava, Maka, 2016. "Toothless Reforms? The Remarkable Stability of Female Labor Force Participation in a Top-Reforming Country," IZA Discussion Papers 10440, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    5. Theo SPARREBOOM, 2014. "Gender equality, part-time work and segregation in Europe," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 153(2), pages 245-268, June.
    6. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Mansoor, Nazia & Randazzo, Teresa & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2021. "Is son preference disappearing from Bangladesh?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    7. Matteo Bobba & Luca Flabbi & Santiago Levy, 2022. "Labor Market Search, Informality, And Schooling Investments," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 63(1), pages 211-259, February.
    8. Menzel, Andreas & Woodruff, Christopher, 2021. "Gender wage gaps and worker mobility: Evidence from the garment sector in Bangladesh," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    9. Mahmud Minhaj & Otsuka Keijiro & Sawada Yasuyuki & Tanaka Mari & Tanaka Tomomi, 2017. "Women Empowerment in Bangladesh: Household Decisions under Development of Non-Farm Sectors and Microfinance Institutions," Working Papers 154, JICA Research Institute.
    10. Tabitha Knight, 2022. "Women’s Employment and Public Spending: A Cross-Country Study," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 28(1), pages 1-17, May.
    11. Katrin Elborgh-Woytek & Monique Newiak & Kalpana Kochhar & Stefania Fabrizio & Kangni R Kpodar & Philippe Wingender & Benedict J. Clements & Gerd Schwartz, 2013. "Women, Work, and the Economy; Macroeconomic Gains from Gender Equity," IMF Staff Discussion Notes 13/10, International Monetary Fund.
    12. Hyland,Marie Caitriona & Islam,Asif Mohammed & Muzi,Silvia, 2020. "Firms' Discriminatory Behavior, and Women's Employment in the Democratic Republic of Congo," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9224, The World Bank.
    13. Mani,Muthukumara S. & Gopalakrishnan,Badri Narayanan & Wadhwa,Deepika, 2020. "Regional Integration in South Asia : Implications for Green Growth, Female Labor Force Participation, and the Gender Wage Gap," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9119, The World Bank.
    14. Khorana, Sangeeta & Caram, Santiago & Biagetti, Marco, 2021. "Developmental relevance of Everything but Arms: Implications for Bangladesh after LDC graduation," MPRA Paper 116258, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Joshi, Deepa & Haque, S. & Nahar, K. & Tania, S. & Singh, J. & Wallace, T., 2022. "Public lives, private water: female ready-made garment factory workers in peri-urban Bangladesh," IWMI Books, Reports H050845, International Water Management Institute.
    16. Mohammad Niaz Asadullah & Zaki Wahhaj, 2019. "Female Seclusion from Paid Work: A Social Norm or Cultural Preference?," Working Papers ECARES 2019-10, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    17. Isis Gaddis & Janneke Pieters, 2017. "The Gendered Labor Market Impacts of Trade Liberalization: Evidence from Brazil," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 52(2), pages 457-490.
    18. Rachel Heath & Seema Jayachandran, 2016. "The Causes and Consequences of Increased Female Education and Labor Force Participation in Developing Countries," Working Papers id:11434, eSocialSciences.
    19. Maria Fay Rola‐Rubzen & Thelma Paris & Jacob Hawkins & Bibek Sapkota, 2020. "Improving Gender Participation in Agricultural Technology Adoption in Asia: From Rhetoric to Practical Action," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(1), pages 113-125, March.
    20. Lars Ivar Oppedal Berge & Kjetil Bjorvatn & Amina Mohamed Maalim & Vincent Somville & Bertil Tungodden, 2017. "Reducing early pregnancy in low-income countries: A literature review and new evidence," WIDER Working Paper Series 133, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:taf:femeco:v:22:y:2016:i:1:p:295-321. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Longhurst (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.tandfonline.com/RFEC20 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.