Gender bias and economic development in an endogenous growth model

This paper develops an endogenous growth model with an explicit gender choice to study interactions between gender bias and economic development. Both sex preference and differential human capital endowments are possible sources of gender bias. Human capital and sex ratios of men and women converge to values that are lower in the steady-state growth equilibrium than in the stagnant equilibrium when old-age support from children is absent, and lower than in the steady-state growth equilibrium when old-age support is present. The analysis shows the crucial role of perpetual growth in reducing gender gaps in terms of the sex ratio and human capital ratio of men and women. Simulation results mimic some important features in the time series of the US economy.