The Role of Gender Role Attitudes and Immigrant Generation in Ethnic Minority Women\u2019s Labor Force Participation in Britain

Senhu Wang

doi:10.1007/s11199-018-0922-8

Abstract

Although substantial research shows that in Britain some ethnic minority women have significantly lower labor force participation (LFP) rates than White British women, even after controlling for demographic characteristics and education levels, little is known about the reasons underlying the remaining ethnic differences. Using nationally representative data (2010–2011), I investigate the role of gender role attitudes in explaining the ethnic as well as generational differences in women’s LFP rates. The results show that after controlling for demographic characteristics and education levels, LFP rates of Pakistani and Bangladeshi women are significantly lower than that of White British women and about half of the ethnic gap can be explained by differences in gender role attitudes. Moreover, I show that the ethnic gap is less pronounced for second generation Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Indian women whose LFP rates are significantly higher than those of their first generation counterparts. Importantly, the higher LFP rates of second generation South Asian women can be largely explained by their relatively less traditional gender role attitudes. Drawing on my results, public policies could provide appropriate childcare services and flexible work arrangements to alter traditional gender role attitudes, thereby improving minority women’s labor market opportunities.

Highlights

Substantial research shows that in Britain some ethnic minority women have significantly lower labor force participation (LFP) rates than White British women, even after controlling for demographic characteristics and education levels, little is known about the reasons underlying the remaining ethnic differences
Black Caribbean and Black African women with more egalitarian gender role attitudes in terms of the household labor division tend to have similar or even higher levels of LFP than White British women do (Kan and Laurie 2016; Peach 2005). These studies imply that gender role attitudes could be an important reason underlying ethnic differences in women’s LFP, it remains unclear about the extent to which gender role attitudes could explain ethnic differences in women’s LFP after taking into account demographic characteristics and education levels
The higher LFP rate of Black Caribbean relative to White British women is primarily due to the former’s more egalitarian gender role attitudes. These findings suggest that gender role attitudes play an important role in explaining divergent LFP rates among women from diverse British ethnic groups

Summary

Introduction

Substantial research shows that in Britain some ethnic minority women have significantly lower labor force participation (LFP) rates than White British women, even after controlling for demographic characteristics and education levels, little is known about the reasons underlying the remaining ethnic differences. Black Caribbean and Black African women with more egalitarian gender role attitudes in terms of the household labor division tend to have similar or even higher levels of LFP than White British women do (Kan and Laurie 2016; Peach 2005) These studies imply that gender role attitudes could be an important reason underlying ethnic differences in women’s LFP, it remains unclear about the extent to which gender role attitudes could explain ethnic differences in women’s LFP after taking into account demographic characteristics and education levels. My second objective is to explore the role of gender role attitudes in explaining generational differences in LFP within South Asian women

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion