abstract: 'The focus of this study is the implications of structural transformation

  for gender equality, specifically equal pay, in Sub-Saharan Africa.

  While structural transformation affects key development outcomes,

  including growth, poverty, and access to decent work, its effect on the

  gender pay gap is not clear ex-ante. Evidence on the gender pay gap in

  sub-Saharan Africa is limited, and often excludes rural areas and

  informal (self-)employment. This paper provides evidence on the extent

  and drivers of the gender pay gap in non-farm wage- and self-employment

  activities across three countries at different stages of structural

  transformation (Malawi, Tanzania and Nigeria). The analysis leverages

  nationally-representative survey data and decomposition methods, and is

  conducted separately among individuals residing in rural versus urban

  areas in each country. The results show that women earn 40 to 46 percent

  less than men in urban areas, which is substantially less than in

  high-income countries. The gender pay gap in rural areas ranges from (a

  statistically insignificant) 12 percent in Tanzania to 77 percent in

  Nigeria. In all rural areas, a major share of the gender pay gap (81

  percent in Malawi, 83 percent in Tanzania and 70 percent in Nigeria) is

  explained by differences in workers'' characteristics, including

  education, occupation and sector. This suggests that if rural men and

  women had similar characteristics, most of the gender pay gap would

  disappear. Country-differences are larger across urban areas, where

  differences in characteristics account for only 32 percent of the pay

  gap in Tanzania, 50 percent in Malawi and 81 percent in Nigeria. Our

  detailed decomposition results suggest that structural transformation

  does not consistently help bridge the gender pay gap. Gender-sensitive

  policies are required to ensure equal pay for men and women.'
affiliation: 'van den Broeck, G (Corresponding Author), Catholic Univ Louvain, Earth
  \& Life Inst, Louvain la Neuve, Belgium.

  van den Broeck, Goedele, Catholic Univ Louvain, Earth \& Life Inst, Louvain la Neuve,
  Belgium.

  Kilic, Talip, World Bank, Dev Data Grp, Washington, DC USA.

  Pieters, Janneke, Wageningen Univ \& Res, Social Sci Dept, Wageningen, Netherlands.'
article-number: e0278188
author: van den Broeck, Goedele and Kilic, Talip and Pieters, Janneke
author-email: Goedele.vandenbroeck@uclouvain.be
author_list:
- family: van den Broeck
  given: Goedele
- family: Kilic
  given: Talip
- family: Pieters
  given: Janneke
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0278188
files: []
issn: 1932-6203
journal: PLOS ONE
keywords-plus: 'WAGE GAP; AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY; INCOME; INEQUALITY; EMPLOYMENT;

  DISCRIMINATION; DECOMPOSITION; DIFFERENTIALS; FERTILITY; EDUCATION'
language: English
month: APR 7
number: '4'
number-of-cited-references: '51'
orcid-numbers: Van den Broeck, Goedele/0000-0002-8480-3526
papis_id: 8c70e2457e11830e8f4adb17622ca765
ref: Vandenbroeck2023structuraltransforma
times-cited: '0'
title: Structural transformation and the gender pay gap in Sub-Saharan Africa
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000988267700001
usage-count-last-180-days: '1'
usage-count-since-2013: '1'
volume: '18'
web-of-science-categories: Multidisciplinary Sciences
year: '2023'