Pro Poor Growth and Gender: What can we learn from the Literature and the OPPG Case Studies?

This paper examines to what extent gender gaps in education, health, employment, productive assets and inputs can affect pro poor growth (in the sense of increasing monetary incomes of the poor). After discussing serious methodological problems with examining gender issues in the context of household income poverty, the paper considers theory and evidence of the impact of gender inequality on pro poor growth. While there is a considerable literature demonstrating impacts of gender gaps on growth, there is much less information on the impact of gender gaps on inequality. The paper then examines the 14 countries included in the OPPG case studies and finds that the pro poor growth-relevant gender issues differ dramatically between the country cases so that no blanket analysis can be done. In addition, there is considerable evidence that low gender inequality contributed to pro-poor growth in the case study countries. Finally, the study identifies five clusters of countries with similar gender issues and associated policy priorities.