The OECD review of Gender Equality in Costa Rica is the fourth in a report series focussing on Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) countries. Previous reports covered Chile, Peru and Colombia. This review puts gender gaps in education and on the labour market labour in Costa Rica into comparison with other countries in the LAC region, and in the OECD. The review analyses the factors that contribute to unequal employment and economic outcomes, including the uneven distribution of unpaid work. It discusses how existing policies and programmes in Costa Rica contribute to improving gender equality.

In the past decades, gender equality in Costa Rica has advanced along multiple dimensions. Nevertheless, just as elsewhere in the region and around the world, men and women do not share paid and unpaid work equally, with negative consequences for women’s key economic outcomes. This report reviews evidence on gaps in education and employment between men and women in Costa Rica and in international comparison. It discusses the drivers of these gender differences, highlights variations across socio‑economic groups and proposes a strategic policy framework towards a more gender-equal, sustainable, and productive economy and society.

This chapter reviews the evidence on gender gaps in economic and educational outcomes in Costa Rica. It starts with an overview of gender gaps in educational and labour market outcomes across different dimensions (enrolment and out-of-school rates, skills outcomes, along with labour market participation, gender pay gaps and the interactions between motherhood and access to quality jobs). It then discusses the factors contributing to these gaps (the unbalanced distribution of unpaid care and domestic work, gender-based stereotypes, the role of legal barriers, the access to care facilities, infrastructural barriers, and gender-based violence). In addition to comparing Costa Rica with OECD and other LAC countries, the chapter addresses gender differences across socio‑economic groups. This includes urban and rural differences, along with differences across educational attainments, age cohorts, and income.

This chapter argues that closing gender gaps in key economic outcomes requires a strategic approach towards a better sharing of paid and unpaid work between men and women in Costa Rica. It presents a comprehensive framework to reach this goal, following two main policy axes. The first axis focuses on the policies aimed at reducing the barriers that stand in the way of a more equitable division of time and responsibilities between partners: creating a more effective care system, expanding parental leave, and reducing the transmission of gender stereotypes through the education system. The second includes the policies that aim to improve the participation of women in the labour market by ensuring girls’ access and enrolment in the education system, promoting women in non-traditional careers and leadership positions, supporting female entrepreneurship, and fighting gender-based violence. The chapter reviews each area in detail and provides policy insights for possible improvements.