Promoting Gender Equality and Tackling Demographic Challenges

Gender Notes, June 11, 2024

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Bibliographic details

• Authors: Jiajia Gu, Lisa L Kolovich, Dr. Jorge Mondragon, Monique Newiak, Michael Herrmann
• Published: June 11, 2024
• Series: Gender Notes
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400277788.067

Summary

• Two broad contrasting demographic trends present challenges for economies globally: aging populations (often advanced economies and increasingly emerging markets) that anticipate a significant shrinking of the labor force, and rapidly growing populations (many low-income and developing countries) that will face a burgeoning young population entering the labor market in the next decades.
• Gender equality can serve as a stabilizing factor to rebalance demographic trends.
• Decisions regarding fertility, human capital investment, and labor force participation are interlinked; policies should aim at relaxing households’ time and resource constraints that condition these choices.

Key findings

• Aging populations imply implications for growth, economic stability, and public finances.
• Rapid population growth in low-income and developing countries presents a large potential to reap the demographic dividend if the right skills and economic and social conditions are in place.
• Gender equality is relevant in both demographic scenarios as a factor that can stabilize and rebalance demographic pressures by influencing fertility, human capital accumulation, and labor force participation.

Policy recommendations

• For advanced economies and emerging markets:
  • Facilitate women’s work–life choices.
  • Boost female participation in the labor market.
• For low-income and developing countries:
  • Focus on reforms that narrow gender gaps in opportunities.
  • Support human capital accumulation to harness the potential demographic dividend.
• General policy objective:
  • Relax households’ time and resource constraints that shape choices on fertility, human capital investment, and labor force participation.

Publication and metadata

• Title: Promoting Gender Equality and Tackling Demographic Challenges
• Authors: Jiajia Gu, Lisa L Kolovich, Dr. Jorge Mondragon, Monique Newiak, Michael Herrmann
• Publication date: June 11, 2024
• Series: Gender Notes No. 2024/002
• Issue: 002
• Volume: 2024
• Pages: 39
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400277788.067
• Stock No: GNSEA2024002
• ISBN: 9798400277788
• ISSN: 3005-4591
• Format citation (Chicago, as provided): Jiajia Gu, Lisa L Kolovich, Dr. Jorge Mondragon, Monique Newiak, and Michael Herrmann. "Promoting Gender Equality and Tackling Demographic Challenges", Gender Notes 2024, 002 (2024), accessed 9/20/2026, https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400277788.067

International Monetary Fund — Promoting Gender Equality and Tackling Demographic Challenges (Gender Notes No. 2024/002).

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