Gender gaps in the collection and marketing of an underutilized plant species – Baobab in Malawi
by: Dennis Etemesi Olumeh, Dagmar Mithöfer
Forest Policy and Economics 152 (2023)
Doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2023.102992
Gender equality is viewed as both a means and an end in the achievement of development outcomes. Often,
women derive their livelihoods from the collection and marketing of non-timber forest products, but very little is
known about gender gaps in these chains. This paper assesses the magnitude and correlates of gender gaps in the
collection and marketing of baobab, an underutilized plant species in Malawi, using a primary dataset from 864
baobab collectors. Exogenous switching treatment effect regression and multiple linear regression models were
applied in the empirical analysis. We also disaggregate our analysis by the marital status of female baobab
managers. Our results show gender gaps in the collection and marketing of baobab are attributable to observed
and unobserved characteristics. Female baobab managers’ and unmarried female managers’ levels of baobab
collected and marketed would be higher if they had the same level of observed characteristics as male baobab
managers and married female managers, respectively. However, even if that were the case, results still indicate
persistent gaps due to unobservable factors. Regression results show that household size, education level, and
wealth index negatively correlate with the gender gap.