Good news on the gender gap front

by Ricardo Hausmann, guest columnist

We are all so affected by bad news on so many fronts – rising global inequality, a looming economic crisis, a warming planet, etc. – that we seldom take the time to savor the good news when they happen.

According to the latest gender related statistics published in the 2007 World Development Indicators (WDI) by the World Bank, the gaps between the sexes are going through a major shift worldwide. In 2006, literacy ratios of young women between the ages of 15 and 25 were higher than young men’s in 54 out of 123 countries.

If we look at secondary school enrollment, in 2004 there were 84 out of 171 countries in which girls outnumbered boys. At college level, this is also true in 83 out of 141 reporting countries.

Tertiary school enrollment in 2004: female vs. male

Note: Countries above the red dots have more women than men in tertiary enrollment

A similar story emerges when we look at labor force participation. In 2005, women represented on average 40.3 percent of the in a sample of 200 countries. The graph below shows the percentage of the labor force composed of women in 2005 in the horizontal axis and the change of this variable the 1990-2005 period. While 78 countries show declines, including Egypt, Turkey, Sudan and Georgia, 122 countries show increases, many of them quite substantial, including Iran and Libya.

Increase in female labor force as a percentage of the total labor force between 1990 and 2005 vs. female labor force in 2005

So, it is not just in the US that the education gender gap has reversed. This signals coming changes in the role of women in the family, the economy and in marriage. There is a growing literature trying to work out what forces this may unleash. Murat Iyigun and co-authors have been thinking about this in a series of papers (see this and this). More couples will have a more educated wife whose income earning capacity will exceed that of their husbands. How this will change power relationships and family roles is a fascinating topic.

Comments

[nu]

"More couples will have a more educated wife whose income earning capacity will exceed that of their husbands."

I'm not sure about the income earning capacity.. Unless the income gap at equal qualification is reduced, the difference in education needs to be large for the difference in income to exist.

[haiocean]

If this change in gender gap in education leads to decrease in wage gap between men and women, then according to the recent NBER Working Paper No. 13494 by Anna Aizer, violence against women (pregnant women, in particular) by domestic partners will decrease, which in turn leads to better child health.

[inthemachine]

"More couples will have a more educated wife whose income earning capacity will exceed that of their husbands."

Quick, somebody tell the mother-in-laws!

[lux]

The real question is, what happens to all those women with their advanced degrees when they hit the workforce? Are they still being paid less than men? Are they getting equal opportunities in hiring, promotion, etc?

[odanu]

I have an MSW, and my husband has an HVAC certification. 6 years of advanced education vs. 1 year. He makes almost double what I do. Education does not translate directly into income. "Traditionally female" professions are paid significantly less than "traditionally male" professions despite the amount of education required, and wages drop when the status changes from a male dominated profession to a female dominated one. On top of that, even in the same field men make significantly more than women.

[joe blow]

I have an MSW, and my husband has an HVAC certification. 6 years of advanced education vs. 1 year. He makes almost double what I do."

Thats becasue MSWs are worthless and a dime a dozen. A high school grad can do the same work that an MSW can do.

On the other hand, doing HVAC stuff requires real training. A high school grad certainly could NOT do that kind of work without extra training.

If you have evidence that male MSWs with equivalent experience and hours/week are getting paid more than women at the same level, then post it and I'll be the first to march in protest.

Of course, all you really have is a bunch of studies that dont correct for htose variables. They compare female MSWs who took 5 years off to raise kids and who have 10 years of experience vs male MSWs who work 60 hours/week, never took any time off to raise kids, and have 20 years of experience. And then everybody is shocked and appalled when the male MSW makes more $$$

[odanu]

joe blow, I rest my case. You seem to think that the "soft skills" (people skills) required to assess for mental illness and addiction and other life factors, and help the patient heal is somehow "innate", though most people can't do it.

And the study about men making more than women in the field? It was posted on the wall of my university's MSW office.

You have almost got a bingo, Joe. Keep it up and I'll throw in the center chip for free :D

[dug]

"If you have evidence that male MSWs with equivalent experience and hours/week are getting paid more than women at the same level, then post it and I'll be the first to march in protest."

Here's my prediction. No you won't. You will keep trying to find "reasons" why the women "deserve" to be paid less.

Anyway, let's start with this: http://kuznets.fas.harvard.edu/~goldin/papers/pollution.pdf

The evidence is out there, even if it doesn't fit with your priors.

[gaddeswarup]

Andrew Leonard has some encouraging news here:
http://www.salon.com/tech/htww/2007/10/24/son_preference_in_korea/index.html

[matt]

How is it a "good thing" that boys are less likely to have basic literary skills or a college education than girls? Why do you act as though gender inequality something to be celebrated when it's males who are getting the short end of the stick?

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