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  3. Journal of Economic Perspectives
  4. Fall 2000
  5. Women's Work and Economic Development

Journal of Economic Perspectives

ISSN 0895-3309 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7965 (Online)

Women's Work and Economic Development

  • Kristin Mammen
  • Christina Paxson
Journal of Economic Perspectives
vol. 14, no. 4, Fall 2000
(pp. 141–164)
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Abstract

Using a cross-country dataset and microdata from India and Thailand, we examine how women's work status changes with economic development. Several clear patterns emerge: women's labor force participation first declines and then rises with development; women move from work in family enterprises to work as paid employees; fertility declines; and gender gaps in education narrow. Women's education levels, and those of their spouses, appear to be important determinants of women's labor market activities. Broad welfare indicators, such as mortality rates and education levels, indicate that women's well-being improves on average with development, both in absolute terms and relative to men.

Citation

Mammen, Kristin, and Christina Paxson. 2000. "Women's Work and Economic Development." Journal of Economic Perspectives 14 (4): 141–164. DOI: 10.1257/jep.14.4.141

JEL Classification

  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
  • O15 Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration