Gender, quality of life, and growth in Asia 1070 to 1990

This paper examines the gender distribution of the benefits of economic growth in several Asian economies from 1970-90. Using Borda rank ordering, we compare the progress made in these countries towards closing the gender gap in well-being. In addition to commonly-used indicators, trends in the ratio of females to males in the population are examined. We explore determinants of changes in this ratio, using regression analysis. The results indicate that gender equity in quality-of-life ratings is highest in those Asian economies that grew the slowest over the period in question. Further, the data indicate that economic growth does not have a significant effect on the female to male population ratios for this set of countries. Variables that affect women’s bargaining power do, however, have a positive effect on relative female life chances, as does spending on public education.