Pieces and Gaps in the Gender Divide (IDB)
November 2020
Authors: Paula Garnero; Ana Inés Basco; Ángeles Barral Verna
Executive Summary
Based on data from the 2018 Latinobarómetro survey, this study aims to analyze differences in opinions between women and men regarding integration in Latin America and the Caribbean. The study seeks to confirm the existence of a gender gap in the region, quantify its magnitude, and explore various hypotheses that may help explain its underlying determinants. To this end, several linear regression models are employed to capture the main hypotheses discussed in the relevant literature and to assess the extent to which they apply to the region.
Main Findings
1. Integration and Trade: More Male Players than Female Players
Regional economic integration and increased international trade enjoy strong public support in Latin America: seven out of ten people support these policies (72% and 73% on average, respectively).
In both cases, support is lower among women than among men, resulting in gender gaps of 8 percentage points for both economic integration and international trade.
Women’s comparatively lower support for international trade is not unique to Latin America; it is a widespread phenomenon observed in other regions and countries, including Europe, the United States, and Asia.
2. The Gender Gap in Support for Regional Economic Integration: An Omnipresent Pattern
This gap is observed throughout the survey but is more pronounced at the top of the socioeconomic pyramid, reaching 10 percentage points between women and men in the highest-income segment. By contrast, the gap narrows considerably among individuals in the least advantaged segment, where it falls to 3 percentage points. The gap reaches a maximum of 13 percentage points among retirees and pensioners and decreases as educational attainment improves: it stands at 9 percentage points among women and men with basic education or less and declines to 4 percentage points among those with higher education.
3. The Gender Gap Confirmed Through Econometric Analysis
Using econometric linear regression models, the study found that in Latin America, being a woman reduces the probability of supporting regional economic integration by 4.4 percentage points. The various hypotheses tested explain part of this gap, but not all of it.
4. More Information and Economic Education: Essential Pieces for Closing the Gap
One of the main determinants of women’s lower support for integration lies in the type of education and information they receive. This effect is captured through variables such as positive perceptions of foreign countries or economic blocs, exposure to economic ideas, opportunities to travel abroad, and the number of information sources individuals use. Model 6 is the specification in which the variable measuring the effect of gender on the probability of supporting integration declines the most relative to the baseline model, decreasing from -4.4 to -3.4 percentage points. Therefore, limited knowledge and insufficient information about these issues appear to influence women’s support for regional integration.
5. Greater Vulnerability, Lower Perceived Benefits of Integration
A second important factor in explaining women’s lower support for integration is their comparatively greater vulnerability. This dimension is captured through variables such as food insecurity, insufficient income to meet basic needs, and socioeconomic status. When these factors are included in the analysis, the variable measuring the effect of gender on the probability of supporting integration decreases from -4.4 to -4.0 percentage points relative to the baseline model. It is possible that the barriers imposed by these conditions limit women’s ability to perceive the benefits associated with increased trade, leading them to hold a more negative view of regional integration processes.