Newswise — A new global study suggests that cannabis legalization is narrowing long-standing gender gaps in the cannabis industry. 

The study, published this month in the International Journal of Drug Policy, found that women are significantly more likely to grow cannabis—and benefit economically—in regions where it’s legal.

Not only are women participating more in legal markets, data showed, they are also earning a larger share of their income from cultivation—one of the cannabis industry’s top sectors and one where they are historically underrepresented. On average, women earn 59% of their income growing legally, compared with 44% for men. The results suggest that legalization is improving economic opportunities for women.

“Legalization is reshaping who participates in cannabis cultivation and empowering women,” says Josh Meisel, who led the study and heads the Cannabis Studies bachelor’s degree program at Cal Poly Humboldt. 

“What we’re seeing is that when barriers come down, women are more likely to enter the field and to benefit economically from it,” he adds.

This is the first multinational study of its kind to describe gendered differences in cannabis cultivation across different legal contexts. It drew on self-reported survey data from 11,479 participants across 18 countries, with most from Belgium, Denmark, Italy, the U.S., and Germany. 

The study also found that women are more likely than men to grow cannabis for medical rather than recreational purposes, with 23.5% of women reporting medicinal cultivation compared with 20.7% of men. 

“These results suggest that women may be driving the expansion of medicinal markets and shaping the industry in important ways,” says Meisel.

Overall, the study found that legalization is helping reduce, not yet eliminate, gender-based disparities, signaling a broader shift toward a more gender-diverse workforce.

“This research shows that policy changes can do more than open markets—they can open doors,” Meisel says. “Legalization is giving women opportunities to shape the future of the cannabis industry.”