Policies & Welfare

Research under this theme will analyse the welfare implications of policy solutions meant to promote gender parity. These include testing the effect of, among others, parental leave, childcare subsidies, vocational training for the young as well as to facilitate mothers’ return into the labour force, infrastructure to promote safety and reduce violence, edutainment to change norms. Research is needed to assess potential costs to men and women, especially in the short run when policies promote behaviours that go against established social norms. Implications for mental health are particularly important. Research is also needed to assess whether policies are zero-sum, that is redistribute from men to women, or whether they increase overall output and productivity via an improved allocation of talent and whether these gains can be widely shared, as that will ultimately determine whether they will receive majority support.