Publication:
Reducing Gender Gaps in Management: Experimental Evidence from Peru

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Files in English
English PDF (3.16 MB)
69 downloads
English Text (21.54 KB)
8 downloads
Date
2025-03-13
ISSN
Published
2025-03-13
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The fact that women who have the skills, experience, and ability to be considered for promotions opt out of competitions for promotion is not cost-free. It reduces the overall skillset in the pool of applicants. And the underrepresentation of women discourages future generations of women from pursuing leadership positions. In other settings where women are underrepresented, women have been found to be more productive, on average, than men because they had to be far above the bar to overcome the barriers to entering the field. This suggests that equalizing representation of men and women in school leadership positions could raise the average quality of school leadership, and possibly student learning outcomes. In education, closing gender gaps in management is crucial. Diverse management teams make more balanced, equitable decisions that benefit a broader range of students. For example, gender diversity in school leadership can lead to more inclusive curricula, better representation for female teachers and students, and stronger role models for future generations of leaders.
Link to Data Set
Citation
World Bank. 2025. Reducing Gender Gaps in Management: Experimental Evidence from Peru. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/42945 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.
Associated URLs
Associated content
Report Series
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue

Related items

Showing items related by metadata.

  • Publication
    Country Gender Assessment for Lao PDR : Reducing Vulnerability and Increasing Opportunity
    (Manila, 2013-01) Asian Development Bank; World Bank
    Since the introduction of economic reforms in the mid-1980s, strong growth and development have lifted thousands of poor women and men out of poverty, changing traditional ways of life in Lao PDR. In this environment of change, gender relations, within the family, village and society at large, are changing too. Gender equality is a core development objective. It is also smart economics. Greater gender equality can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions more representative. As Lao PDR continues its development, the empowerment of women and girls will be a key to translating the country's economic growth and the energies of its young people into improved living standards that benefit women and men alike. This assessment synthesizes information and findings from recent literature and research on gender issues in Lao PDR for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank's (WB) country partnership strategies. The assessment is planned to contribute not only to the work of the ADB and the WB, but also towards the work of the government and development partners by bringing the latest information on gender issues to the forefront. Many of the gender issues reviewed in this report cut across multiple aspects of social and economic life. This assessment presents gender issues into three main dimensions of gender equality, endowments, economic opportunities and agency, using the framework developed by the World Bank's world development report on gender. In addition to these three areas, the report also analyzes gender issues related to emerging areas of development and growing risks.
  • Publication
    Bangladesh : Attaining the Millennium Development Goals in Bangladesh, How Likely and What Will it Take to Reduce Poverty, Child Mortality and Malnutrition, Gender Disparities, and to Increase School Enrollment and Completion?
    (Washington, DC, 2005-06) World Bank
    This report focuses on the attainment of five major human development-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Bangladesh - consumption poverty, infant and under-five mortality, child malnutrition, schooling enrollment and completion, gender disparities in schooling. The report stipulates that of these MDGs, Bangladesh has already attained (or nearly attained) the goal relating to elimination of gender disparity in schooling opportunities. Bangladesh is the only country in South Asia (other than Sri Lanka) to have achieved parity in male and female enrollments, not just at the primary level, but also at the secondary level. The analysis in this report suggests that attainment of two other MDGs - in particular, the reduction of consumption-poverty and under-five mortality - is also feasible with a combination of interventions, including sector-specific interventions (such as expanding immunization coverage and reducing pupil-teacher ratios), economic growth, improved coverage of infrastructure, and social safety-net programs (such as the District Education Stipends Program, and the Vulnerable Group Development programs). However, it will be challenging for Bangladesh to attain the child malnutrition-related MDG, as well as the education MDGs relating to universal net primary enrollment, and primary completion. A factor that is likely to be important in explaining Bangladesh's relative success in attaining positive social outcomes is the work of its nongovernmental organizations (NGOs). Bangladesh may well be the world's leader in using NGOs as vehicles of development. Yet another factor in explaining the country's success, especially its ability to eliminate gender disparity in enrollment, even at the secondary level, is the use of targeted public interventions, such as the Female Secondary School Stipend Program (FSSS). However, there are problems in attaining the MDGs, i.e., very large regional disparities, and, the problem of governance - in particular, poor service delivery. The report notes there is evidence of significant synergies among the different MDGs, i.e., a reduction in the proportion of underweight children is strongly associated with a reduction of child mortality. At the same, it needs to be realized that the different MDGs are not necessarily internally consistent. For instance, simultaneous attainment of the poverty and child malnutrition MDGs by Bangladesh would result in 30 percent of the population being poor, but 34 percent of the children being underweight. This inconsistency indicates a problem in the manner in which poverty and/or underweight thresholds are established. But the importance of systematically monitoring MDGs outcomes at disaggregated levels, and evaluating the impact of public programs cannot be overemphasized.
  • Publication
    Gender Equity in Junior and Senior Secondary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa
    (Washington, DC : World Bank, 2008) Sutherland-Addy, Esi
    This thematic study is about gender equity in junior and senior secondary education in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It consists of case studies of Ghana, Malawi, and Uganda, as well as, a review of studies undertaken over the past ten years on education in Africa with particular attention to girls' and secondary education. Gender equity at the primary level has been the focus of considerable attention within the education for all frameworks of action, but much less so at the secondary level. Evidence of gender inequity and inequality in terms of access, retention and performance in secondary education in SSA raises many questions. While transition rates from primary to secondary are higher for girls than boys, and the repetition rates are lower, girls still significantly trail behind boys in terms of secondary gross enrollment rate (GER). The purpose of this study is to document and analyze the extent and nature of gender disadvantage in junior and senior secondary education, to analyze the causes of this disadvantage and to identify strategies that may be effective in reducing or eliminating it. This thematic study will make a timely and useful contribution to the debate on Secondary Education and Training in Africa (SEIA) issues.
  • Publication
    Gender Education Gaps among Indigenous and Nonindigenous Groups in Bolivia
    (World Bank, Washington, DC, 2015-08) Reimão, Maira Emy; Taş, Emcet O.
    This paper studies gender education gaps among indigenous and nonindigenous groups in Bolivia. Using the National Census of Population and Housing 2012 and an estimation method analogous to difference-in-differences, the paper finds that the intersection of gender and indigenous identity confers cumulative disadvantage for indigenous women in literacy, years of schooling, and primary and secondary school completion. Although gender education gaps have become narrower across generations, there remain significant differences among indigenous groups. The Aymara have the largest gender gap in all outcomes, despite having high overall attainment rates and mostly residing in urban centers, with greater physical access to schools. The Quechua have relatively smaller gender gaps, but these are accompanied by lower attainment levels. The paper discusses the possible sources of these differentials and highlights the importance of taking gender dynamics within each indigenous group into greater consideration.
  • Publication
    Tracking Basic Education Expenditure in Yemen : Analyses of Public Resource Management and Teacher Absenteeism
    (Washington, DC, 2006-12) World Bank
    Yemen faces significant challenges in expanding access and promoting quality for improved educational outcomes. The study employs both qualitative and quantitative methods to provide recommendations for tracking public expenditure and improving service delivery in the basic education sector in Yemen. To this end, it documents the management of public resources in Yemen's education sector and potential inefficiencies in the use of these resources. This report, through its various components, revealed significant impediments-teacher deployment and salary payment, materials provision, student and teacher attendance, among others-on the path to improving education service delivery in Yemen. This study examines four main research issues related to Yemen's education sector: 1) leakage in the flow of funds, 2) compliance with financial management standards, 3) incentives to provide better quality services, and 4) teacher management issues. The study investigates the disparities and inconsistencies between formal regulations and informal practices in teacher deployment, wage payments, and resource allocations to schools. The study explores how absenteeism correlates with a wide range of potential determinants of the quality of education at the individual, facility, and national levels.

Users also downloaded

Showing related downloaded files

  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, January 2025
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-01-16) World Bank
    Global growth is expected to hold steady at 2.7 percent in 2025-26. However, the global economy appears to be settling at a low growth rate that will be insufficient to foster sustained economic development—with the possibility of further headwinds from heightened policy uncertainty and adverse trade policy shifts, geopolitical tensions, persistent inflation, and climate-related natural disasters. Against this backdrop, emerging market and developing economies are set to enter the second quarter of the twenty-first century with per capita incomes on a trajectory that implies substantially slower catch-up toward advanced-economy living standards than they previously experienced. Without course corrections, most low-income countries are unlikely to graduate to middle-income status by the middle of the century. Policy action at both global and national levels is needed to foster a more favorable external environment, enhance macroeconomic stability, reduce structural constraints, address the effects of climate change, and thus accelerate long-term growth and development.
  • Publication
    Business Ready 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-03) World Bank
    Business Ready (B-READY) is a new World Bank Group corporate flagship report that evaluates the business and investment climate worldwide. It replaces and improves upon the Doing Business project. B-READY provides a comprehensive data set and description of the factors that strengthen the private sector, not only by advancing the interests of individual firms but also by elevating the interests of workers, consumers, potential new enterprises, and the natural environment. This 2024 report introduces a new analytical framework that benchmarks economies based on three pillars: Regulatory Framework, Public Services, and Operational Efficiency. The analysis centers on 10 topics essential for private sector development that correspond to various stages of the life cycle of a firm. The report also offers insights into three cross-cutting themes that are relevant for modern economies: digital adoption, environmental sustainability, and gender. B-READY draws on a robust data collection process that includes specially tailored expert questionnaires and firm-level surveys. The 2024 report, which covers 50 economies, serves as the first in a series that will expand in geographical coverage and refine its methodology over time, supporting reform advocacy, policy guidance, and further analysis and research.
  • Publication
    World Bank Annual Report 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-10-25) World Bank
    This annual report, which covers the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024, has been prepared by the Executive Directors of both the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA)—collectively known as the World Bank—in accordance with the respective bylaws of the two institutions. Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors, has submitted this report, together with the accompanying administrative budgets and audited financial statements, to the Board of Governors.
  • Publication
    Women, Business and the Law 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-03-04) World Bank
    Women, Business and the Law 2024 is the 10th in a series of annual studies measuring the enabling conditions that affect women’s economic opportunity in 190 economies. To present a more complete picture of the global environment that enables women’s socioeconomic participation, this year Women, Business and the Law introduces two new indicators—Safety and Childcare—and presents findings on the implementation gap between laws (de jure) and how they function in practice (de facto). This study presents three indexes: (1) legal frameworks, (2) supportive frameworks (policies, institutions, services, data, budget, and access to justice), and (3) expert opinions on women’s rights in practice in the areas measured. The study’s 10 indicators—Safety, Mobility, Workplace, Pay, Marriage, Parenthood, Childcare, Entrepreneurship, Assets, and Pension—are structured around the different stages of a woman’s working life. Findings from this new research can inform policy discussions to ensure women’s full and equal participation in the economy. The indicators build evidence of the critical relationship between legal gender equality and women’s employment and entrepreneurship. Data in Women, Business and the Law 2024 are current as of October 1, 2023.
  • Publication
    Global Economic Prospects, June 2024
    (Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-06-11) World Bank
    After several years of negative shocks, global growth is expected to hold steady in 2024 and then edge up in the next couple of years, in part aided by cautious monetary policy easing as inflation gradually declines. However, economic prospects are envisaged to remain tepid, especially in the most vulnerable countries. Risks to the outlook, while more balanced, are still tilted to the downside, including the possibility of escalating geopolitical tensions, further trade fragmentation, and higher-for-longer interest rates. Natural disasters related to climate change could also hinder activity. Subdued growth prospects across many emerging market and developing economies and continued risks underscore the need for decisive policy action at the global and national levels. Global Economic Prospects is a World Bank Group Flagship Report that examines global economic developments and prospects, with a special focus on emerging market and developing economies, on a semiannual basis (in January and June). Each edition includes analytical pieces on topical policy challenges faced by these economies.