The legal protection of women's property rights, factors of production, and economic growth

Abstract

In many countries, women have fewer or weaker property rights than men. This reduces the productivity of both physical and human capital, hindering growth in countries with unequal laws. We assess the relationship between the legal protection of women's property rights and economic growth in a large panel of countries and find that the legal protection of women's property rights is vital for development. Specifically, we present evidence that women's legal protection of property rights may affect economic growth by making human capital more productive.