Frayed Societies: Decoding the Interplay between Conflicts and Gender Inequality

This paper explores the relationship between violent conflicts and gender inequality in a global sample since the 1990s. Based on a composite index, it shows that conflicts, including both interstate and intrastate events, predict a higher gender inequality in outcomes. Focusing on specific gender outcomes, school enrollment rate by females in primary education and share of seats in parliament held by women tend to decrease in the aftermath of those episodes, whereas maternal mortality rate increases. Moreover, conflicts tend to widen cross-country gaps in gender inequality in outcomes. Focusing on gender inequality in opportunities, conflicts are associated with lower economic rights for women in legislation. Considering the role of women’s empowerment in economic growth and development, these associations between conflicts and gender inequality provide a channel for the observed, long-lasting drag on economic performance following those episodes. The ongoing political and security-related challenges across the globe make the implications of the findings even more crucial for sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the post-Covid-19 era.