Effects of Market-Based Development on Women’s Empowerment: Impact on Families

Abstract

Is diffusing global market-based development beneficial for women? Does it improve or hinder women's empowerment and in turn, the prosperity of their families? Is women's empowerment advantageous to the development of families and countries? The manuscript depicts and provides a critical review of variables of marker-based development that are relevant to women's empowerment (a) objectives of market-based development, (b) elements of the organizational structure of workplaces, and (c) welfare provisions. The study argues that these variables, when taken together interactively, form a conceptual framework of women's empowerment under conditions of market-based development. First, the study illustrates the implications of this framework. Second, it conducts statistical analyses to demonstrate the differential effects of market-based development on women's as compared to men's empowerment across the world. The empirical analyses indicate that the effects of countries' market-based development on women's and men's economic, health, and educational opportunities are generally positive, nonetheless over time, in contrast to men, women's labor force and maternal health weaken. The study concludes discussing the importance of the defined conceptual framework and demonstrated gender differences of effects of market-based development to future scholarly analyses and policymaking.