Does female labor share reduce embodied carbon in trade?

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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Does female labor share reduce embodied carbon in trade? Shuhong Wang 1 & Zhengzheng Li 1 & Hongyan Zhang 1 Received: 13 June 2020 / Accepted: 6 October 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020

Abstract This study innovatively investigates the impact of female labor share on trade-related embodied carbon based on the idea of ecofeminism. Regression results show that an increase in the female labor share contributes to a reduction in emissions embodied in trade, and that this effect is more significant after the control variables, education level and female political participation, are included. More specifically, in developed countries, higher female labor force participation would reduce the embodied carbon related to imports and exports only in the service sector. However, in developing countries, increases in female labor force participation are conducive to reducing the embodied carbon of exports and imports in the service and industrial sectors, respectively. This study provides new evidence for policy makers to reduce trade-related emissions embodied in trade by encouraging female employment. Keywords Female labor share . Carbon emissions embodied in trade . Ecofeminism . Political participation

Introduction This paper explores how does the female labor share affect embodied carbon emissions in trade. International trade and globalization have deepened the division of labor and extended the production process of finished products worldwide, thereby promoting global intermediate goods trade. At present, intermediate goods trade is the most important part of international trade, accounting for nearly two-thirds of all trade (Johnson and Noguera 2012). However, many countries use the global division of labor to outsource pollutionintensive production to less developed countries, resulting in the transfer of pollution. In particularly, carbon emissions, as

This manuscript has not been published or presented elsewhere in part or in entirety and is not under consideration by another journal. We have read and understood your journal’s policies, and we believe that neither the manuscript nor the study violates any of these. Responsible Editor: Philippe Garrigues * Hongyan Zhang [email protected] Shuhong Wang [email protected] 1

School of Economics, Institute of Marine Development, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266100, People’s Republic of China

the main component of greenhouse effect, are the most concerning aspect. An increase in carbon dioxide, an important component of greenhouse gases, is one of the main causes of rising temperatures. The latter may lead to frequent extreme weather events, which will not only adversely affect the physical and mental health of human beings but also seriously affect the economy. Climate change is also considered the biggest global health threat in the twenty-first century (Costello et al. 2009). Although the Kyoto Protocol has defined clear requirements for carbon dioxide emission reduction, the focus is mainly on develo