While in developed countries evidence of the effect of a scarcity of men on female labor
market participation is ambiguous, in developing countries little is known. We estimate
its effects on female labor market participation and outcomes in Mexico. We use variation
in migration rates of Mexican male workers across states, cohorts and over time, due to
exogenous U.S. labor market demand. We find that a reduction in the male-female sex ratio
results in increased schooling for women, increased likelihood of employment and a decrease
in childbearing. New results indicate that women are more likely to have white collar or
“brain” jobs, enter traditionally male dominated jobs and become top earners. Our results
are robust to different measures of migration and indicate that under these conditions women
substitute men in the labor market.