Labour Force Participation among MENA Women in the United States: Exploring the Role of Ethnically Homogamous Relationships

Abstract

AbstractThis study uncovers variations in female labour force participation (FLFP) among women in the US originating from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with a focus on differences by nativity status, and investigates the role of ethnically homogamous relationships in explaining these variations. Lower levels of US labour force participation among women from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is puzzling, given that these women have higher educational attainments than most women in the US. Recent work has suggested that looking more closely at the influence of homogamy on immigrant women’s economic activity may help to explain this puzzle. Drawing from prior research on FLFP and immigrant integration, we hypothesized that foreign‐born women from MENA will report lower labour force participation rates relative to their US‐born counterparts, and ethnically homogamous marriage will explain differences in FLFP across nativity status. Data come from the Public Use Microdata Samples (PUMS) from 2012–2016 American Community Surveys (ACS). The analytic sample consists of 33,133 women in the United states of MENA origin who are in the prime working ages of 25 to 59. As hypothesized, we found that foreign‐born MENA women reported significantly lower labour force participation rates than their US‐born counterparts. We also found that after controlling for all relevant characteristics, MENA women (both US‐born and foreign‐born) with MENA husbands remained dramatically less likely to be in the labour force than women with non‐MENA husbands. Our findings suggest the disadvantage in FLFP experienced by foreign‐born MENA women is due mostly to high rates of ethnically homogamous relationships among this population relative to their US‐born counterparts. Thus, our study highlights ethnic homogamy as a structural‐cultural barrier for MENA women’s labour force activity in the US and suggests that empirical research on FLFP and immigrant integration should consider partner characteristics as a key determinant of women’s labour force participation.