Does Gender Equality Matter for Regional Growth and Income Inequality? An Empirical Analysis for the Indian States

This study aims to address two key research issues: (i) whether gender equality promotes economic growth across Indian states and (ii) whether interstate differences in gender equality can explain per capita income disparities among the Indian states. Controlling for the relevant key factors such as components of government developmental expenditures, private investment, human capital formation and institutional quality in a regional growth model, our empirical findings confirm that gender equality leads to economic growth and that interstate differences in gender equality lead to disparities in per capita income among the Indian states.