Gender Wage Gaps in Post-Reform Rural China

Over the last several decades, gender issues have attained increased prominence in the debates over development policy. There is a growing body of evidence and experience linking gender awareness in policy and projects to equitable, efficient, and sustainable outcomes in development. However, these links are still not widely understood nor have these lessons been fully integrated by donors or national policy makers. In mid 1998, work began on the Policy Research Report (PRR) on Gender and Development. The objectives of the report will be to strengthen the analytical and empirical underpinnings of these links and, in doing so, to clarify the value added of bringing a gender perspective to the analysis and design of development policies and projects. In pursuit of these objectives, the PRR will draw on interdisciplinary perspectives, from research and project and policy experience. The report will incorporate extensive consultation with Bank staff, researchers and academics outside the Bank, other donor agencies, and groups from civil society. In addition to the consultation process, a series of background papers on selected topics has been commissioned. These papers have been selected to fill some of the gaps in the existing literature as well as to augment knowledge in selected areas. The Policy Research Report on Gender and Development Working Paper Series is intended to encourage early discussion of the findings of these papers in advance of the expected publication of the PRR. An objective of the series is to get the findings out quickly, even if the presentation is less than fully polished. The papers are preliminary and carry the names of the authors and should be cited accordingly. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the view of the World Bank, its Board of Directors, or any of its member countries.