Export Led Industrialization and Gender Differences in Job Creation and Destruction: Micro Evidence from The Turkish Manufacturing Sector

In this paper we investigate gender differences in job creation and destruction patterns in Turkey during a period of substantial trade liberalization. The primary findings are as follows. 1) In the manufacturing sector as a whole, net job creation rate for females at every skill level are significantly higher than their male counterparts. 2) Gross job reallocation rate for females is about twice the size of males at the same skill levels. 3) Net job creation rates in the exportable sector are higher than they are in the import competing sectors for all worker groups. However, the net job creation rate for female production workers (non-production) relative to their male counterparts is higher (lower) in the import-competing sector than it is in the exportable sector. Since female production (non-production) workers constitute a smaller (larger) share of employees in import competing sectors, the results indicate that the relative net job creation rate for females are higher where females constitute a smaller fraction of the workforce. 4) The ratio of gross job reallocation rate of females to males at a given skill level differ only slightly across sectors by trade orientation.