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Gender Discrimination and the Sex Ratio of Immigrants

Author

Listed:
  • Lach, Saul

    (Hebrew University, Jerusalem)

  • Sicherman, Nachum

    (Columbia University)

Abstract

We use data on international migration to study the causal effect of gender discrimination on the sex-ratio of immigrants to the U.S. during the 1970-2019 period. We measure gender discrimination in the countries of origin using the Women, Business, and the Law (WBL) index, which measures legal differences in access to economic opportunities between men and women. Controlling for country fixed effects and regional time trends, as well as for potentially confounding factors, we find that a one standard deviation increase in the WBL index in a country of origin (a decrease in gender discrimination) decreases the share of women immigrating to the U.S. from that country by 1.7 percentage points, on average. This large effect of gender discrimination on the sex ratio of immigrants is robust to specification changes, and is not significant when examining senior citizens.

Suggested Citation

  • Lach, Saul & Sicherman, Nachum, 2022. "Gender Discrimination and the Sex Ratio of Immigrants," IZA Discussion Papers 15487, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15487
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Steven Raphael, 2013. "International Migration, Sex Ratios, and the Socioeconomic Outcomes of Nonmigrant Mexican Women," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(3), pages 971-991, June.
    2. Gary S. Becker, 1981. "A Treatise on the Family," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number beck81-1, March.
    3. World Bank, 2020. "Women, Business and the Law 2020 [Mujer, Empresa y el Derecho 2020]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 32639, December.
    4. Papke, Leslie E & Wooldridge, Jeffrey M, 1996. "Econometric Methods for Fractional Response Variables with an Application to 401(K) Plan Participation Rates," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 11(6), pages 619-632, Nov.-Dec..
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender discrimination; sex-ratios; international migration;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F22 - International Economics - - International Factor Movements and International Business - - - International Migration
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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