Gender Barriers, Structural Transformation, and Economic Development

The representation and significance of women in the labor force have grown significantly over the past five decades around the globe. Using nationally representative data from more than 90 countries, this paper documents distinct gender patterns in employment transitions across both sectors and occupations during this period. Using a model of occupational and sectoral choice and focusing on six major economies, the paper finds that declining gender barriers — defined as gender-specific distortions in employment and wages — were a key driver of the observed rise in female labor force participation, expansion of the service sector, and increases in real GDP per capita from 1970 to 2018, but with substantial variation across countries.