Gender, Human Capital and Growth: Evidence from Six Latin American Countries

Abstract

This Technical Paper reports on a body of research conducted for the OECD Development Centre by Donald J. Robbins. It examines the patterns and determinants of rapidly rising educational attainment in six Latin American countries — Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and Uruguay — all of which illustrate the sweeping transformations in growth, demographics and education now occurring in much of the world. It finds that rising per capita output, through a mechanism which induces women to join the labour force and interacts with falling family size, acts as the key factor leading to mounting educational achievement.This in fact highlights the role of women in basic household microeconomic decisions with powerful economic and social effects — decisions about female labour-force participation and family shifts from notions of “quantity” (large families) to those of “quality” (fewer children, with more investment in health and education). It carries important implications ... Ce document fait la synthese des recherches menees par Donald J. Robbins a la demande du Centre de Developpement. Il examine la structure et les determinants des progres rapides obtenus en matiere d’education dans six pays latino-americains (Argentine, Chili, Colombie, Costa Rica, Mexique et Uruguay). Tous illustrent les bouleversements radicaux que connaissent actuellement la croissance, la demographie et l’enseignement dans la plupart des pays de la planete. Selon l’auteur, la hausse de la production par habitant, via les incitations pour les femmes a entrer sur le marche du travail et la diminution consecutive de la taille des familles, est l’un des facteurs cles de l’amelioration du niveau d’education.Ces constatations mettent en exergue le role joue par les femmes dans les decisions microeconomiques quotidiennes des menages, et l’importance de leurs consequences economiques et sociales. C’est le cas par exemple des decisions concernant la participation au marche du travail et ...

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