Gender-Differentiated Employment Gains
RCTReview
In many developing nations, women face severe structural barriers to formal labor force participation, including cultural norms and limited job openings. Public works programs traditionally prioritize heavy physical construction jobs that disproportionately employ men, neglecting female labor potential.
Picture this
Think of a community gym that only offers heavy weightlifting equipment, which mostly attracts young men. If the gym adds cardio machinery and offers specific time slots for women, a whole new group of people starts exercising, driving up the total overall attendance of the facility.
What the evidence says
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, overall public works program increases in participant employment probability and average hours worked were driven primarily by female employment gains.
- Who was studied
- Low-income men and women across multiple trial sites in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Sierra Leone, and Tunisia.
- How
- Systematic review of randomized controlled trials comparing labor market outcomes between male and female participants in public works programs with female-targeted components.
What to do
Design female-focused employment quotas and gender-adapted project tasks within public works initiatives to boost total local labor market participation.
From the source
"A few PWPs were particularly beneficial for women, especially in areas with low levels of female employment and limited job opportunities for women. For example, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, increases in women's employment drove overall increases in participants' likelihood of being employed and in their average number of hours worked."
Public works programs and labor market outcomes.pdf