Historical Gender Equality and Economic Development

Sammanfattning: To explore the historical relationship between gender equality and economic progress, this study implements two steps. First, it extends the Historical Gender-Equality Index (HGEI), a multidimensional measure of gender gaps originally developed by Dilli, Carmichael, and Rijpma (2019). Second, taking advantage of updated HGEI and a comprehensive longitudinal panel data structure, the effects of gender equality on economic development are computed by implementing the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator of Anderson and Hsiao (1981). Among other potential endogeneity hazards, this quantitative approach rules out the theoretical possibility of reverse causality. Consistent with previous literature, this research provides evidence suggesting that narrowing gender gaps does not have a unique and generalizable economic progress response, instead, it depends on the development stage of each country.