Female Labor, Western Culture, and Growth in Gulf Cooperation Council Countries

Using per capita spending on imported U.S. books to approximate for western cultural sentiment, I find a positive relationship between the female percentage of total labor and per capita U.S. book expenditures in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.  The estimates herein suggest that an increase in western cultural sentiment equivalent to an additional $1 per person spent on U.S. books would raise the female percentage of total labor by 1.5% in a given GCC country. Additionally, a 1% increase in the female percentage of total labor creates GDP growth equivalent to a 2% increase in the international price of oil.