Relative Gender Differentials and Islam in Non-Arabic Nations: A Regional Analysis

This paper examines the influence of a variety of variables on various measures of gender inequality, with a special emphasis on the regional impact of Islam in non-Arabic nations. The results indicate that improvements in institutional quality and GDP per capita reduce gender inequality, while ethnic fragmentation and being landlocked generally increases such inequality. The impact of Islam varies by region, for the most part being associated with a worsening in relative gender performance. However, once we account for differences in birth rates, given the literature on the relatively higher birth rates among Muslims, the negative impact of Islam on gender inequality disappears for all regions. I