China's Rebalancing and Gender Inequality

By Mariya Brussevich, Era Dabla-Norris, Bin Grace Li

May 11, 2021

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Mariya Brussevich, Era Dabla-Norris, and Bin Grace Li. China's Rebalancing and Gender Inequality, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2021) accessed September 19, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

This paper examines gender inequality in the context of structural transformation and rebalancing in China. We document declining women's relative wages and labor force participation in China during the last two decades, despite rapid growth and expansion of the service sector. Using household data, we provide evidence consistent with a U-shaped relationship between economic development and women's labor market outcomes. Using a model of structural transformation, we show that labor market barriers for women have increased over time. Model counterfactuals suggest that removing these barriers and increasing service sector productivity can boost both gender equality and economic growth in China.

Subject: Economic sectors, Financial crises, Gender, Gender inequality, Labor, Labor supply, Services sector, Wages, Women

Keywords: Africa, CHIP wage data, Female-to-male wage ratio, Gender earnings gap, Gender inequality, Gender wage gap, Global, Household data, Labor supply, Services sector, Wages, Women

Publication Details

Pages:

27
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2021/138
Stock No:

WPIEA2021138
ISBN:

9781513573779
ISSN:

1018-5941

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