Tackling Gender Inequality: Definitions, Trends, and Policy Designs
IMF Working Papers, December 2, 2022
Source details
- Canonical URL
- Tackling Gender Inequality: Definitions, Trends, and Policy Designs
Other formats
Bibliographic details
- Authors: Baoping Shang
- Published: December 2, 2022
- Series: IMF Working Papers
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400224843.001
Executive summary / main findings
- The paper identifies five key issues important for continued efforts to tackle gender inequality:
- (i) Gender inequality needs to be distinguished from gender gaps. Not all gender gaps necessarily reflect gender inequality as some gender gaps are not driven by the lack of equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities by women and girls, and this has important implications on policy designs to address gender inequity. The literature has paid little attention to this issue, often using gender inequality and gender gaps interchangeably.
- (ii) The evolving focus of gender inequality suggests there is still a long way to go to fully address gender inequality. Particularly gender inequality is taking more subtle and implicit forms, though the social and economic benefits from addressing the remaining gender inequality is still likely to be substantial.
- (iii) Addressing gender inequality benefits everyone, not just women. Thus, the entire society should work together, even for each individual’s own interest.
- (iv) Both general policies and targeted gender policies can help address gender inequality. However, as gender inequality becomes more subtle and implicit, targeted gender policies will likely need to play an increasing role, which also makes separating gender inequality from gender gaps all that more important.
- (v) Addressing gender inequality does not need to start with policies targeted at its root causes, but needs to end with eliminating the root causes. Only then, any remaining gender gaps would only reflect preference and comparative advantage between men and women.
- The paper concludes by discussing gaps in the literature and policy challenges going forward.
Policy implications and recommendations
- Distinguish gender inequality from gender gaps in diagnosis and policy design to avoid mistargeting interventions.
- Scale up targeted gender policies as gender inequality becomes more subtle and implicit, while maintaining supportive general policies.
- Frame gender-equality reforms as beneficial for the entire society to build broader political and social support.
- Design policy sequences that may start with feasible interventions but aim to eliminate root causes so that remaining gaps reflect preferences and comparative advantages.
Analytical emphasis and gaps
- Emphasis on conceptual clarity: distinguishing inequality from gaps.
- Recognition that remaining gender inequality takes subtle and implicit forms requiring nuanced measurement and policy tools.
- Identifies literature gaps and policy challenges without prescribing a single starting-point policy—stresses that policy processes must end with root-cause elimination.
Key statistics and publication metadata
- Pages: 41
- Volume: 2022
- Issue: 232
- Series: Working Paper No. 2022/232
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.5089/9798400224843.001
- Stock No: WPIEA2022232
- ISBN: 9798400224843
- ISSN: 1018-5941
- Author: Baoping Shang
- Date: December 2, 2022
- Subject: Gender, Gender inequality
- Keywords: allocative efficiency, gender gaps, gender inequality, gender inequity, gender wage gap, policy challenge, Policy design, targeted gender policies, targeted gender policy
Source: IMF Working Papers landing page for "Tackling Gender Inequality: Definitions, Trends, and Policy Designs" by Baoping Shang (Working Paper No. 2022/232).
Content in this bundle
- Working Paper