Women Powering Growth: The Potential of Female Workers in Latin America

This report discusses the importance of incorporating more high-skilled women into the workforce in Latin America’s major economies (Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia). Despite Latin America’s recent growth, female labor force participation remains low throughout the region. In every one of Latin America’s five major economies, an overwhelming majority (64 percent or more) of women express a preference for paid work, but only half or less participate in the labor force. In the report, we discuss the potential economic gains from incorporating women into the workforce (which range from $16 billion to $391 billion, depending on the country and assumptions) as well as some of the remaining obstacles to women’s work in Latin America’s major economies.