Unequal gender division of labor and care in Morocco: a general equilibrium model-based analysis

This study examines the unequal gender division of labor observed both in the labor market and within households in Morocco from an applied general equilibrium modelling perspective. Building on the Care Economy literature, it develops a dynamic Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model that differentiates female and male labor in production processes and allows different types of care to be produced either within the household sphere or in the market economy, with substitution possibilities in household consumption. Within this framework, it first shows how the demographic ageing process expected over the next decade in Morocco is likely to affect care needs and provision, as well as the gender division of labor. It then examines how, in this new context, public policies targeting both marketed and home-based care provision could promote women’s participation in the labor market and reduce gender inequalities.