Does Gender Inequality Hinder Development and Economic Growth? Evidence and Policy Implications

Does the existing evidence support
policies that foster growth by reducing gender inequality?
The authors argue that the evidence based on differences
across countries is of limited use for policy design because
it does not identify the causal link from inequality to
growth. This, however does not imply that
inequality-reducing policies are ineffective. In other
words, the lack of evidence of a causal link is not in
itself evidence that the causal link does not exist.
Detailed micro studies that shed light on the mechanisms
through which gender inequality affects development and
growth are needed to inform the design of effective policies.