Economic Activity among UK Bangladeshi and Pakistani Women in the 1990s: Evidence for Continuity or Change in the Family Resources Survey

Abstract

Recent research has suggested that patterns of economic activity among UK Pakistani and Bangladeshi women may be changing. It is argued that a younger, UK-educated generation of women is both better equipped to compete in the labour market than older migrants and more likely to subscribe to gender roles that view employment outside the home as a legitimate option. Thus far, small sample sizes have restricted investigation into the relationships between life-stage variables and economic activity among qualified Bangladeshi and Pakistani women. Furthermore, these two groups have often been combined in quantitative analyses, thereby precluding any examination of differences. Analyses of data from the UK Family Resources Survey reveal that economic activity was persistently low between 1996/7 and 2001/2 for both Pakistani and Bangladeshi women as a whole, and particularly low among Bangladeshis. Though economic activity was far more common among well-qualified Bangladeshi and Pakistani women than among those without qualifications, marriage and presence of young children continue to be important predictors of economic inactivity. There is evidence that the ‘domestic role’ may be a preferred option for many of these women. Nevertheless, it should be recognised that such ‘preferences’ are constructed within particular socio-economic contexts. I suggest that, although gender roles are fluid and negotiable, they are unlikely to be challenged unless female labour force participation presents good prospects in terms of economic returns and social status.