Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings

This first note in the series on the cost of gender inequality focuses on the losses in national wealth due to gender inequality in earnings. There is a substantial literature on the impact of gender inequality on economic growth and performance. B...

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Main Authors: Wodon, Quentin T., de la Brière, Bénédicte
Format: Economic & Sector Work
Language:English
Published: Washington, DC: World Bank 2018
Subjects:
Online Access:http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/172021527258723053/Unrealized-potential-the-high-cost-of-gender-inequality-in-earnings
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29865
id okr-10986-29865
recordtype oai_dc
spelling okr-10986-298652021-05-25T09:14:41Z Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings Wodon, Quentin T. de la Brière, Bénédicte GENDER INEQUALITY HUMAN CAPITAL EDUCATION LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION GENDER DISCRIMINATION LABOR POLICY LABOR MARKET AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY LABOR SKILLS FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES This first note in the series on the cost of gender inequality focuses on the losses in national wealth due to gender inequality in earnings. There is a substantial literature on the impact of gender inequality on economic growth and performance. By focusing on wealth, the approach usedfor measurement in this note is different. Wealth is the assets base that enables countries to produce income Gross Domestic Product or GDP). A country’s wealth includes various types of capital. Produced capital comes from investments in assets such as factories, equipment, or infrastructure. Natural capital includes assets such as agricultural land and other renewable and non-renewable natural resources. However, the largest component of countries’ wealth typically resides in their people. As noted in the recent World Bank study on the Changing Wealth of Nations, human capital measured as the present value of the future earnings of the labor force accounts for two thirds of global wealth. If gender equality in earnings were achieved, countries could increase their human capital wealth, and thereby their total wealth substantially. This would enable them to strengthen the sustainability of their development path. Gender inequality has major economic implications forwomen, communities, and countries in a range of areas. While the cost of gender inequality – in terms of human capital losses - for development is not solely due to losses in earnings, the impact of gender inequality on earnings is key. This is the area on which this note focuses. 2018-05-30T13:23:08Z 2018-05-30T13:23:08Z 2018-05-01 http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/172021527258723053/Unrealized-potential-the-high-cost-of-gender-inequality-in-earnings http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29865 English The Cost of Gender Inequality CC BY 3.0 IGO http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo World Bank Washington, DC: World Bank Economic & Sector Work Economic & Sector Work :: Women in Development and Gender Study
repository_type Digital Repository
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution Digital Repositories
building World Bank Open Knowledge Repository
collection World Bank
language English
topic GENDER INEQUALITY
HUMAN CAPITAL
EDUCATION
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
LABOR POLICY
LABOR MARKET
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY
LABOR SKILLS
FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS
SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
spellingShingle GENDER INEQUALITY
HUMAN CAPITAL
EDUCATION
LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
GENDER DISCRIMINATION
LABOR POLICY
LABOR MARKET
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY
LABOR SKILLS
FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS
SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES
Wodon, Quentin T.
de la Brière, Bénédicte
Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings
relation The Cost of Gender Inequality
description This first note in the series on the cost of gender inequality focuses on the losses in national wealth due to gender inequality in earnings. There is a substantial literature on the impact of gender inequality on economic growth and performance. By focusing on wealth, the approach usedfor measurement in this note is different. Wealth is the assets base that enables countries to produce income Gross Domestic Product or GDP). A country’s wealth includes various types of capital. Produced capital comes from investments in assets such as factories, equipment, or infrastructure. Natural capital includes assets such as agricultural land and other renewable and non-renewable natural resources. However, the largest component of countries’ wealth typically resides in their people. As noted in the recent World Bank study on the Changing Wealth of Nations, human capital measured as the present value of the future earnings of the labor force accounts for two thirds of global wealth. If gender equality in earnings were achieved, countries could increase their human capital wealth, and thereby their total wealth substantially. This would enable them to strengthen the sustainability of their development path. Gender inequality has major economic implications forwomen, communities, and countries in a range of areas. While the cost of gender inequality – in terms of human capital losses - for development is not solely due to losses in earnings, the impact of gender inequality on earnings is key. This is the area on which this note focuses.
format Economic & Sector Work
author Wodon, Quentin T.
de la Brière, Bénédicte
author_facet Wodon, Quentin T.
de la Brière, Bénédicte
author_sort Wodon, Quentin T.
title Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings
title_short Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings
title_full Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings
title_fullStr Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings
title_full_unstemmed Unrealized Potential : The High Cost of Gender Inequality in Earnings
title_sort unrealized potential : the high cost of gender inequality in earnings
publisher Washington, DC: World Bank
publishDate 2018
url http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/172021527258723053/Unrealized-potential-the-high-cost-of-gender-inequality-in-earnings
http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29865
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