Gendered globalization: The relationship between globalization and gender gaps in employment and occupational opportunities

Abstract

Despite the steady increase in women’s labor force participation, there are still substantial cross-country variations in women’s rates of gainful employment and gender-linked occupational inequality. Utilizing micro-data for 41 countries (circa 2013) obtained from the Luxembourg Income Study (LIS, 2023), we examine the extent to which globalization and each of its three components – economic, social, and political – affect gender-based economic inequality. Specifically, we investigate the effects of globalization and each of its components on two outcomes: the relative odds of women’s labor force participation, and of their obtaining lucrative managerial and professional jobs (vertical segregation). The findings establish a positive relationship between globalization and the relative odds of women participating in the work force. However, there is also a negative relationship between globalization and women’s odds of obtaining lucrative managerial and professional jobs. The findings also indicate that social globalization is more consequential for gender inequality in the labor market than either economic or political globalization. We discuss the findings in light of theory and previous research on globalization and gender-based inequality.