Foreign Education, Gender Legal Rights, and Economic Freedom

Economic freedom is linked with better economic and human development outcomes (Hall and Lawson, 2014; Lawson, 2022). However, benefits are not evenly spread, with notable gaps in legal systems and property rights, impacting gender equality in economic freedom (Fike, 2016, 2017). Addressing the distribution of economic freedom could enhance development. This study examines foreign education's role in reducing gender disparities in economic freedom. It finds that foreign-educated individuals influence reforms in their home countries based on gender rights experienced abroad. The extent of their influence depends on the destination country's gender disparity levels and their progress over time.