OECD work on gender

For many years, the OECD has collected as many statistics as possible separately for women and men.  Sometimes outcomes are better for women than for men – women do better at school and live longer, and they are less likely to go to prison or smoke. In other areas, men do better – they earn more, and are more likely to hold positions of power in both political and economic life.

Government policies cannot be ‘gender-blind’. The OECD looks at why these inequalities occur, and what can be done to develop policies for parity. We are making headway in many different areas of gender analysis - not just in the areas that you would expect such as pensions, family policies and education – but also in trade, entrepreneurship and development aid. If governments wish to create growth, employment and a better standard of living, policy advice which reflects gender differences is needed.

Take gender differences in education, for instance. Although there has been a rapid increase in the number of women getting tertiary qualifications, women do not study the same subjects as men and this may contribute to women ending up in lower-paid jobs. Or on a different topic, our team that works on trade issues argues that women sometimes face barriers in taking advantage of trade liberalisation.  Another example is our analysis of work and family life, which shows taxation, childcare, parental leave, and part-time work can make it possible to have a career and look after a family.

There are large differences in the economic and social outcomes of women and men.  OECD policy advice has to reflect the different preferences and attitudes of men and women. But if these differences are because of prejudice, inertia or discriminatory policies, it is not just those directly affected who suffer – the whole economy is dragged down by a failure to enable people achieve to the maximum of their abilities. OECD analysis investigates how best to overcome barriers to achievement.