Is Economic Growth In Sub-Saharan Africa Gender Inclusive. Juliet U Is Economic Growth In Sub-Saharan Africa Gender Inclusive? Juliet U. Elu Department of Economics Morehouse College Abstract This paper considers the effects of economic growth on gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa. We estimate the parameters of a simple growth incidence relationship specification to examine how economic growth in Sub- Saharan Africa affects various measures of female relative to male well being. Across nine measures of female well-being relative to males, we find that economic growth only matters in two instances. Our results suggest that economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is not necessarily gender inclusive, as the benefits of economic growth do appear to improve female relative to male well-being across the measures under consideration. Our estimates permit an assessment of the sensitivity of gender inequality to economic suggesting that policy interventions aimed at increasing economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa do not necessarily result in gender inclusive economic growth.

Organization of Paper Introduction Motivation Literature Review Data Results Conclusions & Policy Recommendation

Motivation Human Development & Growth Gender and Inclusive Growth Policy Implementations Growth Policies & Gender Development

Literature Review Many authors clarify inclusive growth as providing opportunities for all citizens on “productive employment rather than income redistribution” and inclusive growth both firm and individual implications (Klasen, 2010; Lederman 2013). The research indicate that gender based asset inequality as a constraint to growth and poverty reduction (Blackden, 2007). Inclusive growth can result to both macro and micro analyses of the links between gender inequality and growth, thereby reduction in poverty.

Introduction WIn this paper, we examine the impact of economic growth on gender equality. The second part of the paper is to determine if inclusive growth has promoted gender equality in the areas of education, health, and employment which is important to promoting gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa. We parameterize the treatment effect of gender wellbeing using the HDI. Using the framework of Elu 2012 (JBPE) and Elu 2013 (AEA) Our results suggest that economic growth in Sub- Saharan Africa is not necessarily gender inclusive, as the benefits of economic growth do appear to improve female relative to male well-being across the measures under consideration. Our estimates permit an assessment of the sensitivity of gender inequality to economic suggesting that policy interventions aimed at increasing economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa do not necessarily result in gender inclusive economic growth.

Source of Data To estimate the treatment effect of Gender Development, we use World Development Indicators (2016) data for Gender from the World Bank. The WDI shows the ratios of male to females with a sample size of 10,049,760 and 2,250 observations WDI database provide summary measures for gender inclusivity Some of the explanatory variables are – GDP; LFPR of Females, LFPR for Males, Ratio of female to male access to anti-retroviral drugs, Ratio of females to males employed in agriculture, Rate of females to males self- employed, Ratio of female to male literacy, Percentage of females in ministerial positions, Percentage of females in National Parliament, and Percentage of firms with female ownership. Selection of these variables are based on the fact that inclusive growth concentrates on productive employment as catalyst with equal opportunity for all citizens as the economy grows.

Table 1 – Results | Fixed Effect Gender Inclusivity Regressand: Ratio of Female To Male Retroviral Access Prevalence of HIV: Females age 15 - 24 Ratio of Female to Male Life Expectancy Ratio of Females to Males Employed in Agriculture Rate of Females to Males Self-Employed   Regressors: Constant -3.43 (1.60)b 22.79 (2.89)a .4515 (.1415)a 1.29 (1.17) 3.39 (.8362)a Labor Force Participation Rate of Males .0489 (.0362) -.1891 (.0310)a -.0024 (.0016) -.0092 (.0124) -.0237 (.0109)b Labor Force Participation Rate of Females .0144 (.0318) -.0698 (.0260)b .0092 (.0009)a .0053 (.0080) -.0049 (.0059) Growth Rate of Gross Domestic Product -.0147 (.0061)b -.0119 (.0062)b -.0018 .0016 (.0071) -.0019 (.0038) Number of Observations 453 971 375 115 110 R2 (within) .0735 .0816 .1928 .0165 .2342 __________________________________________ Notes: Standard errors are bootstrapped with 50 replications. aSignificant at the .01 level bSignificant at the .05 level cSignificant at the .10 level

Table 2 – Results | Fixed Effect Gender Inclusivity _________________________ __________________________________________ Table 2 – Results | Fixed Effect Gender Inclusivity Regressand: Ratio of Female To Male Literacy Percentage of Females in Ministerial positions Percentage of Females in National Parliament Percentage of firms with Female ownership   Regressors: Constant 1.05 (.3916)b 9.98 (54.18) 52.91 (10.93)a -225.15 (379.62) Labor Force Participation Rate of Males -.0064 (.0038)c -.5487 (.8064) -1.06 (.1723)a -.9476 (5.45) Labor Force Participation Rate of Females .0026 (.0033) .8092 (.6629) .7148 (.1065)a 4.90 (6.39) Growth Rate of Gross Domestic Product .0001 (.0023) -.0299 (.1132) .0112 (.0301) .1039 (1.01) Number of Observations 120 198 722 60 R2 (within) .0572 .0168 .1074 .3027 __________________________________________ Notes: Standard errors are bootstrapped with 50 replications. aSignificant at the .01 level bSignificant at the .05 level cSignificant at the .10 level

Conclusion This paper considered the effects of economic growth on gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa We estimated the parameters of a simple growth incidence relationship specification to examine how economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa affects various measures of female relative to male well-being. Across nine measures of female well-being relative to males, we find that economic growth only matters in two instances. Our results suggest that economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is not necessarily gender inclusive, as the benefits of economic growth do appear to improve female relative to male well-being across the measures under consideration. Our estimates permit an assessment of the sensitivity of gender inequality to economic suggesting that policy interventions aimed at increasing economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa do not necessarily result in gender inclusive economic growth. Increase productivity in Agricultural sector can also serve as a catalyst for enhanced agribusiness for gender.

Conclusion As for limitations, our results are based on limited sample size as reported in gender index of WDI measure. In future work, our aim is to consider other measures and the extent to which inclusive growth can minimize gender inequality and enhance well-being for all stakeholders.