Economic reform, globalization and gender inequality: The case of Mexico

This dissertation examines empirically the effects of globalization on gender wage inequality in urban Mexico. During the period covered by the dissertation, 1987--1993, Mexico underwent significant economic reforms that included increased openness through trade and foreign direct investment, privatization of state enterprises and deregulation of labor markets.;The first paper in the dissertation approaches the issue from a descriptive point of view. It quantifies the changes in the gender gap in earnings, and breaks it down in its main important components. The other two papers try to highlight the mechanisms at work. One of them focuses on the changes that operate through the labor market, while the other one deals with changes that operate through the household structure. The proposed decomposition is thus different from the one offered in the first paper. The main breakdown is now between how globalization affects men-women differences outside and inside the house door.;Changes in wage gaps are measured by the Juhn, Murhpy, and Pierce (1991) decomposition. The effects of economic globalization on the relative wages of men and women are analyzed using a difference-in-difference approach. The Juhn, Murhphy and Price methodology is used again to analyze the determinants of the change in the relative wages of mothers and childless women.;Women's labor market status improved during the period of significant reforms in urban Mexico as indicated by a decline in the gender wage gap and greater level of occupational mobility with better access to high-paying occupations. Women attained more years of schooling than men and improved significantly the quantity and quality of their labor market experience, thus experiencing greater returns and possibly lower levels of discrimination.;The lessons to be learned from this dissertation are not to be limited to Mexico, or to Latin American countries more generally, but perhaps point to a bigger picture. The effects of drastic and swift economic changes must be explored in order to understand the gender consequences of significant economic reform packages. Parallels may be drawn to both developing countries and transition economies The results cannot be extended, however, to the rural sector of most economies. The particularities of rural labor markets and their insertion into an integrated world differ significantly from those of urban markets and were not part of the analysis of this dissertation.