7.4 HGAP KBAR

The sad thing is that historically, many families have preferred over daughters. The reasons vary but the most common thinking pattern is that parents believe that sons will have higher incomes compared to daughters and can provide better financial support for the family in the long run. However, general economic growth can change this pattern, regardless of gender.

There are numerous trends related towards progressing women equality and economic growth for the country overall.

As a country’s economy grows, one can see that girls stay in school longer and pursue higher rates of college attendence. In the 21st century, secondary education rates for girls has been steadily increasing overall.

Surprisingly, in some developed countries, like United States, women are actually enrolling in college at higher rates than men, indicating a significant shift in educational dynamics and opening up new professional opportunities.

Higher education has also lead to lower fertility rates, because this leads to delayed marriage and lower adolescent child-bearing rates. Consequently, women’s traditional roles as wives and mothers decrease as they attain higher education.

Before, women were primarily assigned towards the private household scale while men were found in the public local, regional, and global scales. As economic development occurs, one begins to find an increasing trend of women entering the workforce and pursuing careers traditionally dominated by men, further challenging societal norms and expectations.

Countries with the lowest GDP per capita tend to have high rates of women working in agriculture. But, countries with the highest and lowest GDPs per capita have the highest rates of women’s participation in the workforce. In the developing countries, women labor mostly in the low-paid or unpaid agricultural workforce. In wealthy countries, women work in higher-paid professional jobs. Countries in the middle range of GDP per capita have the lowest female participation rates.

Economic development significantly increases one’s relative mobility to move through a place (geographical mobility). Women become more active in school and the workforce through participation.

Examples- U.S. economy growth in mid 20th century, many women began to work in new opportunities such as clerical and teaching jobs.

In China and Mexico the growth of the manufacturing sector allowed for the creation of jobs in the consumer electronics industry for women.

Plus, the introduction of appliances and electricity in developing countries has allowed the time of women to be freed up, reducing their domestic labour.

Many career options are automatically defined as “men and women roles”. Jobs that are women’s role automatically pay less wages. It changes depending on the country. For example, in the United States, clerical work was considered men’s work in the 19th century but now it is women’s. However in India, clerical work was and still is a men’s type of work. In the United States, the situation changed after Word War 2, where women took up the work as labourers in the factories after their husbands went off to war, performing the same demanding tasks.

Compared to the US, women in China, Mexico, and Indonesia are best seen as manufacturing workers. THIS CAN BE A DOUBLE-SIDED SWORD THO. For one, it increases the opportunities of women to participate in the formal economy but it also leads to increased gender disparities, in working conditions and wages and job security.

One can also find gender disparity in the quaternary and quinary sector, only 5% of the world’s 500 biggest corps are headed by women ☹

Gender parity is a way of documenting progress to solve gender inequality using measures like education, incomes, and workforce participation rates. Achieving gender equality not only enhances the economic potential of a society but also empowers women to make choices about their careers and lives.
Women on average learn from around 20-32% less of what men earn.

Pakistan- pay gap 34%

Kenyan- pay gap 68%

Microloans have been used to help women in developing countries break the bounds of poverty and start a fresh life. These microloans are small, only around 150 dollars but each purchase and loan might not lift a family out of poverty right away but it will essentially help them achieve a better life, one step at a time. They are used to expand or establish businesses. Economist Muhammad Yunus achieved great success with the microloan program in Bangladesh. Microloans are helpful, the UN made the year 2005 as “The Year of Microcredit", becoming a component of economic development policy. While there are hundreds of stories of women who have made their lives better because of microloans, it isn’t a solution that can stand on its own. There are stories of failures of women who sank into further poverty with these microloans and some studies show that the average microloan recievers weren’t better off financially compared to the women who didn’t opt for microloans.

Microloans are popular because they can help with children’s school fees and help with immediate purchases like a new roof, solar-powered lighting, or a new flock of hens. These may be small but they allow the lifestyle of a family to improve, one microloan at a time. Improved living conditions can help increase academic performance for children and lead to more job opportunities.