How Does Women's Employment Affect a Country's Economic Production?

Women's employment can have a significant impact on a country's economy. For instance, if as the number of US female workers rose to match that of their male counterparts, the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would correspondingly increase by 5%. Britain and China would experience similar effects, but the real increase in GDP would be for developing countries, especially those that have few women in the workforce. For example, if as many Egyptian women worked as men do, then Egypt's GDP would increase by nearly 35%.

More about women's employment and GDP:

• GDP is the total market value of all of the goods and services that a country produces per year. Generally speaking, the bigger it is, the higher that country's standard of living.


• As of 2010, about 70% of men 16 and older in the US were working, as compared to about 58% of women 16 and older.


• The World Economic Forum found that by 2011, 93% of the education gap between men and women was closed, but 41% of the employment gap remained.