Gender, pay and development: a cross-country analysis

This paper analyses the determinants of the female-male non-agricultural wage ratio in developing countries.By combining data on industrial composition, economic performance and women's labour market and economic outcomes for a group of developing countries, a cross-country study is carried out of the determinants of the gender pay gap in developing countries in the 1990s. The results show that higher female literacy and greater female labour market activity is associated with a lower wage gap. In addition, the greater the degree of industrialisation and market emergence, the greater the gender wage gap. And, as in the industrialised nations, women's over-representation in lower-paying occupations is a key factor in explaining women's lower relative pay.