Occupational Sex Segregation in Agriculture : Evidence on Gender Norms and Socio-Emotional Skills in Nigeria
Occupational sex segregation is a key driver of the gender gap in earnings. Using data from 11,691 aspiring agribusiness entrepreneurs across five states in Nigeria, this paper explores the gender gap in the sectoral choice decision, and especially...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/307211623358663225/Occupational-Sex-Segregation-in-Agriculture-Evidence-on-Gender-Norms-and-Socio-Emotional-Skills-in-Nigeria http://hdl.handle.net/10986/35765 |
| Summary: | Occupational sex segregation is a key
driver of the gender gap in earnings. Using data from 11,691
aspiring agribusiness entrepreneurs across five states in
Nigeria, this paper explores the gender gap in the sectoral
choice decision, and especially the role played by norms
around gender roles. When given a choice of 11 agricultural
value chains in a government program, the majority (54
percent) of the entrepreneurs chose to enter into poultry, a
value chain with relatively lower profit potential, and
women were more likely to choose poultry than men. This
paper finds evidence of more restrictive gender norms in
Northern States, which lowers women’s likelihood of crossing
over to potentially more lucrative value chains. The gender
gap in sectoral choice is also attributed to differences in
work experience especially in agricultural activities and in
the chosen value chain, as well as in land ownership and
differential access to tertiary-level education. The paper
shows that women with more experience in male-dominated
value chains exhibit lower self-efficacy, which could
reflect the challenges they face when deviating from social
norms to operate within these sectors. |
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