Abstract

This article assesses the changing economic status of women, the forces driving it, and its implications for inequality between women and men and among women. Section 2 reviews women's growing labour market participation and its changing occupational structure. Section 3 analyzes the extent and sources of the gender pay gap. Section 4 reviews two of the major drivers of recent economic change for women: the transformation of their educational status, and the impact of technology. Section 5 addresses the implications of women's rising employment and earnings for household inequality and their changing fertility patterns. Section 6 examines the contribution of the legal framework to reducing inequality. Section 7 concludes with pointers to areas for further research.