Moreover, the process of specialisation and diversification may also fuel a process of new regulations, standards and norms, which additionally strengthen consumers' power and wellbeing. According to Sen (1990) and the World Bank (2012), the presence of gender disparities in every aspect of life represents a major threat to human and economic development.2 Through a variety of external effects, industrialisation and structural transformation can help promote gender equality in several areas of life. The first effect concerns household work and child rearing, activities that are primarily carried out by women.