Women at Work

• Author: Janet G. Stotsky
• Position: an Advisor in the IMF's Office of Budget and Planning who has been researching the economics of gender since the mid-1990s.

One of the most dramatic developments in the 20th century was the entry of women into economic and political spheres previously occupied almost exclusively by men. Although women are making progress in eliminating gender disparities, they still lag men in the workplace and in the halls of government. These gaps are found throughout the world, but are particularly pronounced in developing economies. So far, the greatest success has been in reducing education and health disparities and the least in increasing women’s economic and political influence. Renowned scholars, leading institutions, global businesses, and a growing range of nongovernmental organizations stress the benefits of further reducing gender inequality to allow women to realize their full potential in economic activities and in civic life.Â

The first of the four feature articles, “Different Sight Lines,” by Ann Mari May, shows how the rising proportion of women in economics may begin to alter the profession’s views on policy questions. A survey of a random sample of male and female members of the American Economic Association who received doctoral training in the United States found that while these economists share core views on economic methodologies and principles, women economists are much more likely to favor government intervention to equalize income distribution in the United States and to link import openness to export partners’ labor standards. May sees these findings as consistent with studies that show women in the general population are more supportive of aid for those who are poor, unemployed, and sick.

In “Women in Charge,” Rohini Pande and Petia Topalova focus on women’s significantly smaller representation in political leadership positions compared with men and suggest ways to increase women’s political voice and aspirations. They note that, not without controversy, many countries have sought to increase women’s political leadership by instituting quotas for women’s political participation. India is one such example, where, following a constitutional amendment in 1993, one-third of the seats at every level of government have been reserved for women. The authors interviewed a random sample of households in West Bengal, India, and found that repeated exposure to female leaders at the local level led to a dramatic improvement in voters’ perceptions of their effectiveness. As a result of the quotas, women were better able to compete in village council elections in...