Latin America and the Caribbean Gender Innovation Lab (LACGIL)

Child Disability and Parental Labor Supply

João Garcia (Universidad de Santiago de Chile) presented his work on the impact of a child health shock causing lifelong disability on household labor market outcomes in Brazil.

Labor Market Flexibility and Gender Heterogeneity in Labor Allocation

Carla Srebot (University of British Columbia) presented this study that exploits a 2017 reform in Brazil that reduced restrictions on part-time and flexible contracts.

Six Ways Violent Crime Shapes Women's Labor Force Participation in LAC

High rates of violent crime keep women in Latin America and the Caribbean from accessing jobs and reaching their full economic potential. Why?

Labor Market Consequences of Pre-School Construction in Peru

Ronald A. Cueva (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) presented this study that provides new evidence on the impacts of public pre-school centers & early education establishments on women’s labor market outcomes.

In Latin America, when violence rises, women’s economic opportunities fall

Across LAC, high levels of crime and insecurity shape everyday economic decisions in ways that rarely show up in headline labor statistics. While violent crime affects both women and men, its economic consequences vary.

Gender Inequality in Latin America

Inés Berniell, Professor of Economics at the National University of La Plata, presented this paper that examines gender inequality focusing on two critical spheres: education and work.

Unlocking Women’s Economic Potential: Cutting Edge Evidence from LAC

In Latin America and the Caribbean, women’s economic potential remains untapped. Rigorous evidence can drive smarter policies. Here we summarize the lessons of 17 cutting-edge studies.

88 women die per 100,000 live births due to pregnancy-related causes in LAC

The maternal mortality ratio in Latin America & Caribbean has remained stagnant over the last 20 years roughly around 88.

52 of every 1,000 girls ages 15-19 gave birth in LAC in 2022

In Latin America & Caribbean, the rate of adolescent fertility has decreased since 2014. The rate in 2022 was higher than the world average.

76.1% of girls and 72.2% of boys complete lower secondary school in LAC (2022)

The rates for girls and boys completing lower secondary school in Latin America & Caribbean are roughly the same as the global rates (girls: 77, boys: 76.3).

Adult literacy in LAC is nearly the same among women and men (2022)

The adult literacy rates for both women and men in Latin America & Caribbean are higher than the global rates.

The labor force participation rate in females is 51.1% and in males is 74.7%

The labor force participation rate is the proportion of the population ages 15 and older that is economically active.

Vulnerable employment for females has improved in LAC since 1991

Vulnerable employment among women is 32.7% and among men is 32.9%.

Women spend more time than men on unpaid domestic and care work

The data, expressed as a proportion of time in a day, measure the average time an individual spends on household provision of services for own consumption.

In all economies for which there are data, more men than women own a business

Share of business is calculated as the proportion of female or male newly registered limited liability company owners out of the total number of newly registered limited liability company owners.

In 2021, 70.1% of women and 77% of men in LAC had an account

The gap in account ownership between men and women in LAC, 6.8, is larger than the gap of the world aggregate, 4.4.

In the majority of economies in LAC, more men than women owned a house

Ownership of a house is defined as any person who owned a house alone, jointly with their spouse, or both alone and jointly.

Participation of women in making major decisions in the household varies

Currently married women ages 15-49 who say that they alone or jointly have the final say in (i) making major household purchases, (ii) decisions about own healthcare, and (iii) visits to family, relatives, friends.

The share of women who have experienced sexual violence is greater than 8.4%

Proportion of women who have ever experienced intimate partner violence is the percentage of ever-married women (ages 15 - 49) who have ever experienced physical or sexual violence committed by their husband or partner.

Adolescent girls and young women are more at risk of experiencing IPV

By the time they are 19 years old, roughly 1 in 5 adolescent girls from LAC who have been in a relationship will have ever been physically or sexually abused by a current or former partner.

35.7% of seats in national parliament are held by women

Women in parliaments are the percentage of parliamentary seats in a single or lower chamber held by women. The proportion of seats held by women in LAC has increased since 2014.

Female share of employment in senior & middle management ranges from 30 to 63.9%

Share of women employed in senior and middle management was greater than the median value among all economies (32.9%) in 21 out of 23 economies in LAC.

More men than women used a mobile phone or the internet to pay bills (2021)

In LAC, the proportion of women using the internet for bill payments is lower than the global rates, while for men, it is higher than the global rates.