The Correlates of Educated Women’s Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: A Micro-Study

Abstract

This study attempts to determine the factors that affect educated women’s decision to participate in the labor force. Based on a field survey conducted in the district of Multan, we find that a number of factors have a positive and significant impact on women’s decision to work. These include women who fall in the age groups 35–44 and 45–54, the coefficients of all levels of education, the presence of an educated husband, marital status, family structure, and family expenditure. The presence of an educated father, being an educated married woman, location, distance from the district headquarters, the husband’s employment status and income, and ownership of assets significantly reduces women’s labor force participation. The results of the earnings equation show that variables such as women who live in an urban area and their level of education and experience are associated with a substantial increase in earnings with each additional year. The number of children has a negative and significant impact on women’s earnings. The hours-of-work model shows that age and the number of completed years of education have a positive effect on working hours, while the number of dependents and the number of hours spent on household activities have a negative effect on working hours.