The effect of economic complexity on gender inequality in Ghana: an ARDL approach

Purpose This paper examines how the production structure of country-economic complexity impacts gender inequality in Ghana. Design/methodology/approach Using time-series data spanning from 1995 to 2015, the paper employed the autoregressive distributed lag model as a method of estimation analysis. Findings The findings reveal a significant negative relationship between economic complexity and gender inequality in the long run, indicating that improvements in economic complexity reduce gender disparities over time. In contrast, the short-term analysis reveals a positive relationship between economic complexity and gender inequality. This suggests that improvements in economic complexity may initially worsen gender inequality, but eventually lead to its reduction. Originality/value While previous studies have measure gender inequality using individual indicators such as employment and income differentials, this study adopts a comprehensive measure of gender inequality index which encompasses reproductive health, empowerment (educational attainment and parliamentary representation) and labour market participation. This paper provides findings that are not easily deduced from global or regional panels. More precisely, it helps figure out if a rise in economic complexity leads to a decrease in gender inequality in Ghana given its distinct economic and institutional setting.