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We analyze microdata from Mexico's survey on household income and expenditures (ENIGH) to study the evolution of income inequality in Mexico over 2004-16, identify its sources, and investigate how it was affected by government social policy. We find evidence of only a small decline in inequality over this period. The observed decline may be attributed to government transfers, notably targeted cash transfers (Prospera) and non-contributory pensions. In 2016, those two programs accounted for more than two thirds of the reduction in the Gini coefficient due to government transfers. Other transfer programs such as farmland subsidies (Proagro), government scholarships, and non-monetary transfers for medical expenditures have not been as effective.

Income distribution --- Labor --- Macroeconomics --- Personal Income, Wealth, and Their Distributions --- National Government Expenditures and Welfare Programs --- Government Policy --- Provision and Effects of Welfare Program --- Aggregate Factor Income Distribution --- Nonwage Labor Costs and Benefits --- Private Pensions --- Education: General --- Pensions --- Education --- Personal income --- Income inequality --- National accounts --- Income --- Mexico

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St. Lucia has enviably high female labor force participation rate and strikingly low participation gap vis-à-vis male. The latter is lower than OECD average and way below world average. Women are also more educated than men. Yet, using a micro dataset of St. Lucia Labor Force Survey over the period 2016-2021, our analysis points towards disproportionate effects of childcare on female participation and unemployment and a substantial gender gap in labor income for workers without higher education. Moreover, the income gap is not explained by observable worker characteristics. While the paper does not explore causal links, this unique feature of high female participation and, yet, considerable gender gaps in other dimensions could be due to the social, historical, and political structure that resulted in a matrifocal but not a matriarchal system. At the same time, the small gender gaps for workers with higher education across participation, unemployment, and labor income seem to suggest that women can overcome some barriers through education. Our results bring to the fore two crucial aspects related to gender studies: (i) While macroeconomic indicators like female labor participation rate are important tools, they are not always sufficient to capture progress in gender equality; and (ii) econometric analysis needs to be complemented with a more holistic understanding of the history and social context shaping deeply rooted gender traits.

Currency crises --- Economic & financial crises & disasters --- Economics of Gender --- Economics of specific sectors --- Economics --- Economics: General --- Education --- Education: General --- Gender inequality --- Gender Studies --- Gender studies --- Gender --- Human Capital --- Income economics --- Informal sector --- Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure --- Labor force participation --- Labor market --- Labor Productivity --- Labor Standards: Labor Force Composition --- Labor --- Labour --- Macroeconomics --- Non-labor Discrimination --- Occupational Choice --- Sex discrimination --- Skills --- Social discrimination & equal treatment --- Unemployment --- Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search --- Wage Differentials --- Wage Level and Structure --- Women & girls --- Women --- Women's Studies