Gendered Generational Renewal and Inequality in Latin America: Comparative Lessons from Brazil

Ana Paula Nunes Silva, Federal University of Minas Gerais - UFMG
Ana Hermeto , UFMG - Cedeplar

This paper examines how gendered population renewal and intergenerational transitions shape inequality trajectories in Brazil and Latin America. It expands the notion of demographic restructuring to encompass the uneven replacement of male and female cohorts in the labor force under rapid technological and institutional change. Using Brazilian harmonized microdata from 2000 to 2024 and comparative evidence from Argentina, Mexico, and Chile, the study investigates how educational expansion, labor feminization, and automation interact with demographic aging to redefine gender gaps in income and occupational mobility. Results highlight that while female participation has risen steadily, structural barriers persist in access to high-skill and digital occupations, leading to asymmetric generational renewal within firms and regions. By linking gendered demographic turnover to occupational hierarchies and family structures, the analysis situates Latin America as a key empirical counterpoint to the Global North, where demographic aging occurs under more consolidated welfare regimes. The paper argues that understanding the gendered metabolism of labor—the social processes through which new cohorts of women enter, persist, or exit the workforce—is essential for designing inclusive strategies for demographic adaptation. This comparative approach contributes to rethinking how population renewal, technological diffusion, and family transformations jointly reproduce or challenge inequality across Latin American societies.

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 Presented in Session 14. Flash Session Inequality Dimensions of Human Capital