290
The Day after Tomorrow
Figure 16.6 Labor Force Participation Rate by Region and Demographic Stage, 2003–08 percentage of female and male population ages 15–64
100
80
60
40
20
0 AFR EAP LAC MENA AFR EAP ECA LAC MENA SAR AFR EAP ECA LAC MENA SAR (36) (3) (1) (2) (10) (7) (2) (9) (3) (5) (1) (8) (14) (16) (6) (2) explosion
early transition female
transition male
Source: World Bank 2009b. Note: Data are population-weighted averages. Numbers in parentheses are number of countries in each region.
and finance) to help women invest in productive skills and allocate their time to self-employment and wage labor. Because expansion of the formal sector to levels that can absorb a large share of women (and men) in low-income countries is still far in the future, interventions need to target improving women’s productivity in agriculture and in the informal sector, in both rural and urban areas. Demographic Implosion Currently, only four countries (all middle income) face a scenario of demographic implosion. By 2015, another five countries, including two low-income countries, will also find themselves in this scenario. If one looks further ahead, however, population aging is a major phenomenon and will accelerate in the next 25 years. Women constitute by far the greater number and proportion of older populations in these countries, especially in Eastern Europe and