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Teenage childbearing is less a cause of inferior
labor market outcomes for women than a marker of other social problems in a
girl’s life
It is not difficult to find statistics showing
that teenage childbearing is associated with poor labor market outcomes,
but why is this the case? Does having a child as a teenager genuinely affect
a woman’s economic potential—or is it simply a marker of problems she might
already be facing as a result of her social and family background? The
answer to this question has important implications for policy measures
that could be taken to improve women’s lives.
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Wage-setting institutions narrow the gender pay
gap but may reduce employment for some women
There are large international differences in the
gender pay gap. In some developed countries in 2010–2012, women were close
to earnings parity with men, while in others large gaps remained. Since
women and men have different average levels of education and experience and
commonly work in different industries and occupations, multiple factors can
influence the gender pay gap. Among them are skill supply and demand,
unions, and minimum wages, which influence the economywide wage returns to
education, experience, and occupational wage differentials. Systems of wage
compression narrow the gender pay gap but may also lower demand for female
workers.
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Policies in developing countries to improve
women’s access to paid work should also consider child welfare
Engaging in paid work is generally difficult for
women in developing countries. Many women work unpaid in family businesses
or on farms, are engaged in low-income self-employment activities, or work
in low-paid wage employment. In some countries, vocational training or
grants for starting a business have been effective policy tools for
supporting women’s paid work. Mostly lacking, however, are job and business
training programs that take into account how mothers’ employment affects
child welfare. Access to free or subsidized public childcare can increase
women’s labor force participation and improve children’s well-being.
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Despite being illegal, costly, and an affront to
dignity, sexual harassment is pervasive and challenging to eliminate
Workplace sexual harassment is internationally
condemned as sex discrimination and a violation of human rights, and more
than 75 countries have enacted legislation prohibiting it. Sexual harassment
in the workplace increases absenteeism and turnover and lowers workplace
productivity and job satisfaction. Yet it remains pervasive and
underreported, and neither legislation nor market incentives have been able
to eliminate it. Strong workplace policies prohibiting sexual harassment,
workplace training, and a complaints process that protects workers from
retaliation seem to offer the most promise in reducing sexual
harassment.
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