Did Competition With Chinese Imports Affect the Female Labor in Chilean Industries During 1995–2006?

Abstract

In this paper I analyze if increasing competition with Chinese products has negatively affected female industrial employment in Chile. To conduct this analysis I rely on the census of manufacturing plants of Chile during the period 1995-2006. I find that, at the industrial level, female employment is negatively affected by industrial growth in China and the increasing Chilean imports from this country. This is not the case for male employment. When I control for the effects on industries that are labor intensive I find negative effects of competition with Chinese products also in male employment. However, the intensity of the effect in this case is of lower magnitude than for female employment.