This note examines the factors behind global employment gender gaps, highlighting labor force participation (LFP) rates as a key contributor. Analysis of 2022 data shows most countries have higher employment for men than for women, driven mainly by LFP rate differences. The COVID-19 pandemic...

Two broad contrasting demographic trends present challenges for economies globally: countries with aging populations, often advanced economies and increasingly emerging markets, anticipate a significant shrinking of the labor force, with implications for growth, economic stability, and public...

This note reviews the literature on the complex relationship between gender and business cycles. It focuses on nuanced patterns that challenge the notion of gender neutrality in economic fluctuations. The note also analyzes dimensions, such as unemployment, income risk, hours worked, and...

As governments design policy packages to address the main macroeconomic questions of our times, putting a gender lens on macroeconomics can amplify reform impact. In this note, IMF staff's analysis has called for attention to strengthening legal rights, gendered aspects of fiscal policy, and...

This note argues that the IMF is filling a critical gap by integrating gender issues into it work. It makes the case that (i) closing gender gaps is critical for economies because they lead to underdevelopment, underutilization, and misallocation of productive human resources; and (ii) applying...