Determinants of labour market gender inequalities in Cameroon, Senegal and Mali: the role of human capital and fertility burden

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis study aims to measure the impact of human capital and fertility on labour market inequalities between men and women, in particular regarding access to the highest-paid jobs, in Cameroon, Mali and Senegal. The findings show that women's chances of attaining the top job segment are worse than men's, even with the same education level. Raising a large family (the “fertility burden”) has a direct negative impact in Mali and Senegal, and an indirect negative impact in Cameroon and Senegal, via its interaction with the education levels (the more children a woman has, the lower her marginal return to education).