Narrowing current gender gaps in employment could increase income per capita in some emerging economies by anything from 10 percent to 14 percent above forecasts by 2020, the bank's researchers estimate.

CNN: Helping women help themselves

Some work or worked as cooks or bussers to supplement household incomes, and others filled gaps in employment with jobs that are generally not as hard to get, washing dishes or prepping food in commercial kitchens.

FORBES: Food Is My Job!

Do you have unexplained gaps in employment?

FORBES: Workforce Trends and Your Job Search

"The program was never meant to replace qualified American workers, but it was instead intended as a means to fill gaps in highly specialized areas of employment, " he said in a statement.

WSJ: Visa Demand Jumps

Closing the Gender Gap in Education: Does it foretell the Closing of the Employment, Marriage and Motherhood Gaps?

ECONOMIST: Sources and acknowledgments