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Informality and Gender Gaps Going Hand in Hand
Author:
Vivian Maltanull

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Ms. Lisa L Kolovich
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Angelica Martineznull

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Ms. Marina Mendes Tavares
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Series:
IMF Working Papers
Volume/Issue:
Volume 2019: Issue 112
Language:
English
Publication Date:
23 May 2019
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5089/9781498314718.001
ISBN:
9781498314718
ISSN:
1018-5941
Pages:
34
Keywords:
WP; informal economy; family worker; labor force; working woman; account worker; informal worker; Gender Gaps; sub-Saharan Africa; Senegal; working man; sub-Saharan Africa country; paid worker; Senegalese worker; Women; Gender inequality; Informal employment
Legal-disclaimer:
IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.
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In sub-Saharan Africa women work relatively more in the informal sector than men. Many factors could explain this difference, including women’s lower education levels, legal barriers, social norms and demographic characteristics. Cross-country comparisons indicate strong associations between gender gaps and higher female informality. This paper uses microdata from Senegal to assess the probability of a worker being informal, and our main findings are: (i) in urban areas, being a woman increases this probability by 8.5 percent; (ii) education is usually more relevant for women; (iii) having kids reduces men’s probability of being informal but increases women’s.
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Cover IMF Working Papers
IMF Working Papers
ISSN:
1018-5941
Publisher:
International Monetary Fund
Volume 2019: Issue 112