Female Labor Force Participation Research Articles

Testing the validity of feminization U-shape hypothesis for female labor force participation and economic development in Pakistan: a reexamination

Purpose The participation of females in economic activity remains a challenge, and received a lot of attention for a better labor policy discourse. The empirical research focused widely on the relationship between female labor force participation (FLFP) and economic development, called the feminization U-shape hypothesis. However, the linear/nonlinear relationship has been questioned due to empirical and methodological anomalies. Hence, this study aims to extend the previous work by reexamining this relationship in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The annual data from 1980 to 2021, the unit root tests augmented Dickey–Fuller and Phillips and Perron, the conventional autoregressive distributed lag bound test approach by including the quadratic-term of GDP per capita and the novel Sasabuchi–Lind–Mehlum (SLM) U test (2010) used for empirical estimation. Findings The findings revealed the prospects of a long-run nonlinear association between FLFP and economic development in Pakistan. However, an inverse U-shape exists between the female labor force participation rate (FLFPR) and GDP per capita, predicting that FLFP may decline in the future. Research limitations/implications The traditional feminization U-shape hypothesis has little empirical support in the case of Pakistan. Therefore, the Government of Pakistan should enhance the enabling environment for females through the provision of better job opportunities, technical skills, on-the-job training and social security benefits during all phases of economic development. Originality/value The conventional approach of testing U-shape is insufficient. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, therefore, this study incorporated a wider data set in a time series that is less evident, an advanced methodology SLM U test (2010), to validate the feminization U-shape hypothesis in Pakistan for the first time.

Economic Growth and Female Participation in the Labour Market: Gender Disaggregated Data

The study aims to examine the impact of economic growth on female labour market participation in Kenya with data spanning between 1991 and 2022. Labour-force data disaggregated by gender are important to monitor the dynamic of gender inequalities in the labour market. The secondary data used to construct the time series was obtained from the World Bank and the International Labour Organization sources. The research was informed by the Feminisation U hypothesis, which describes the tendency of female labour force participation to first decline and then rise in the process of economic growth. The study used a fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS) and Granger causality test to analyse the long-run effect of economic growth on women's participation in the labour market. The study results indicate that economic growth positively and significantly contributes to women’s participation in the labour market in the long run. Furthermore, the results of the control variables suggest that education has a beneficial effect on women's workforce, while women’s access to the workforce is hampered by male labour market participation, fertility rate, female self-employment and rate of urbanization. The study suggests to policymakers that the strategy to success is to facilitate education, vocational training, and social change that enable women to play the same role as men in the labour market. Finally, women must be in productive sectors and government should remove barriers to ownership of factors of production to encourage them to participate in economic activities and the labour market.

Role of labor market dynamics in influencing global female labor force participation

PurposeThe global non-attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5 indicates the issue of rising gender inequality. Educated women shying away from the labor force is worsening it. The labor market dynamics might shape the female labor force participation (FLFP). The present study recommends a policy framework by analyzing this dynamism across 125 countries over 1990–2020.Design/methodology/approachThe Two-step System Generalized Method of Moments is used to address endogeneity bias. Dynamism in policy environment is captured by relaxing the Ceteris Paribus condition in the empirical model.FindingsResults show that the moderation of labor market factors has increased with the attainment of Secondary and Tertiary Education. Results also highlight that these factors promote FLFP through prospective opportunities but also hinder female participation through employer’s discrimination despite educational attainment.Originality/valueStudies have examined the role of education on FLFP. However, prior research has not investigated the role of labor market factors in influencing the impact of education on FLFP. The consideration of these factors will help in addressing the global policy lacuna by recommending a policy framework for enhancing FLFP through internalization of the externalities exerted by the labor market factors, and thereby, help the countries attaining the SDG 5 objectives.

Energy access and female labor force participation in developing countries

Access to reliable modern energy services and female economic empowerment are vital for sustainable development of developing countries. While micro-level evidence suggests that energy access can alleviate women's household burdens and enhance their labor market participation, there is little macro-level evidence on this relationship and limited insights on how institutional environments influence it. This study fills this gap using a national-level dataset covering 78 developing countries from 2000 to 2020 and analyzing how access to electricity and clean cooking fuels affects women's labor supply and demand, respectively. Results show that clean energy access increases female labor force participation, particularly in rural areas and small island developing countries. Electricity access reduces female unemployment, especially in urban areas and African countries. Moreover, the importance of country risk and governance capability in shaping this relationship is highlighted. These findings provide valuable insights for enacting synergy policies targeting sustainable development goals.

Digital finance: a developing country perspective with special focus on gender and regional disparity

PurposeEven if digital financial services have a positive impact on financial inclusion, it creates a digital as well as gender divide within and across countries, creating regional disparity even within developing nations. Though pandemic has initiated digitalization of various services, there has been scanty research on whether digital transfer of income can improve digital financial inclusion in post-pandemic era, especially in developing countries. The purpose of the current study is to explain the regional disparity within developing countries from three regions East Asia Pacific, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, using latest World Findex data, 2021.Design/methodology/approachThe author takes an instrumental variable approach to run bivariate probit model to find the factors that motivate the users to make digital payments.FindingsThe study observes that electronic transfer of wages, government transfers and remittances can motivate individuals to make use of digital mode of transactions and mobile. The practice of formal saving and borrowings are the prerequisites. However, this mechanism holds good for East Asia Pacific and not for South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, which are poor in information and communication technology infrastructure. Women are lagging behind men, but digital transfer of wages motivate them to make digital transaction.Practical implicationsDigitalization of all government services and provision of affordable mobile network and internet services are necessary for regions like South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. In East Asia Pacific region, data protection, data governance and better regulatory framework are required. Higher female labor force participation with digital transfer of wages and empowerment with smartphones are key to reducing the Gender gap.Originality/valueThe current study corrects for the possible endogeneity issue, which the extant literature has not paid attention to, and provides region-specific and gender-specific policy recommendations for an improved digital inclusion.

Female Labor-Force Participation as Suicide Prevention: A Population Study in Taiwan

Objective Female labor-force participation (FLFP) has been theorized as contributing to higher suicide rates, including among women. Evidence on this relationship, however, has been mixed. This study explored the association between FLFP and suicide in an understudied context, Taiwan, and across 40-years. Methods Annual national labor-participation rates for women ages 25–64, and female and male suicide-rates, for 1980–2020, were obtained from Taiwan’s Department of Statistics. The associations between FLFP rates and sex/age-stratified suicide-rates, and between FLFP rates and male-to-female suicide-rates ratios were assessed via time-series regression-analyses, accounting for autoregressive effects. Results Higher FLFP rates were associated with lower female suicide-rates (ß = −0.06, 95% CI (Credibility Interval) = [−0.19, −0.01]) in the adjusted model. This association held in the age-stratified analyses. Associations for FLFP and lower male suicide-rates were observed in the ≥45 age-groups. FLFP rates were significantly and positively associated with widening male-to-female suicide-rates ratios in the adjusted model (ß = 0.24, 95% CI = [0.03, 0.59]). Conclusion This study’s findings suggest that FLFP protects women from suicide, and point to the potential value of FLFP as a way of preventing suicide. In Taiwan, employed women carry a double-load of paid and family unpaid care-work. Child care-work is still done by mothers, often with grandmothers’ support. Therefore, this study’s findings contribute to evidence that doing both paid work and unpaid family care-work has more benefits than costs, including in terms of suicide-protection. Men’s disengagement from family care-work may contribute to their high suicide rates, despite their substantial labor-force participation.

Economic Growth and Gender Dynamics: Analyzing Socio-Economic Influences on Infant Mortality in China

This study explores the socio-economic determinants of infant mortality in China through two empirical models, employing linear regression analysis on data from 2010 to 2020. The first model examines the impact of female labor force participation, GDP per capita, health expenditure, and fertility rates on infant mortality. Findings indicate significant negative associations between infant mortality and both female labor force participation and GDP per capita, while health expenditure did not show a significant impact. The second model introduces an interaction term between female labor force participation and GDP, highlighting the nuanced relationship between economic growth and gender dynamics in influencing infant mortality. Results from this model suggest that the beneficial impact of female labor force participation on reducing infant mortality is more pronounced with higher GDP growth. Despite facing limitations such as small sample size and multicollinearity, this research underscores the importance of economic and gender factors in improving infant health outcomes in China, suggesting avenues for further study with more comprehensive models and variables.

Women’s economic underdevelopment in Pakistan: The intersection of gender and female labour force participation

BACKGROUND: Women’s low economic participation in Pakistan and even lower in the formal sector is a perpetual phenomenon leading to their underdevelopment, which has microeconomic and macroeconomic implications. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the nature of women’s work and the intersection of their non-market and market activities at micro, meso, and macro levels which influences women’s chances and choices of decent economic participation. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to investigate the interdependence of women’s market and non-market work to explore how gender intersects with their economic autonomy. METHODS: Using qualitative approach, in-depth interviews of 30 purposely selected respondents from the informal sector were thematically analysed. RESULTS: Results indicated that the interdependence of women’s non-market and market work is the outcome of the gendered dichotomy that creates work-life conflict to create women’s economic dependence and male hegemony. Moreover, although a common phenomenon, women from underprivileged backgrounds are more likely to bear the brunt of systemic deprivation leading to economic underdevelopment. CONCLUSIONS: Pakistan’s inherently masculinised society and economy mutually benefit from women’s unpaid and informal work. Facilitated through gender norms, the patriarchal social ideology and the capitalist economic system collaborate to exploit women and their work in both domains.

Female labor force participation under the pandemic: evidence from the 2020 Uganda High-Frequency Phone survey on COVID-19

Female labor force participation under the pandemic: evidence from the 2020 Uganda High-Frequency Phone survey on COVID-19

Investing in Women, Investing in the Planet: Quantifying the Impact of Women's Empowerment on Environmental Sustainability

Objective: This study finds out the correlation between the indicators of women’s empowerment, including variables like gender parity index in tertiary education, female labour force participation and seats held by women in national parliament, and a variable of environmental sustainability such as CO2 emissions (metric tons per capita). The aim is to analyse existing datasets to know the impact of independent variables on dependent variable. Method: The study uses multiple linear regression to evaluate the effects of independent variables indicators of women's empowerment on the dependent variable, CO2 emissions, using secondary data from the World Bank covering the years 1990 to 2022. The Breusch-Pagan and Breusch-Godfrey LM tests are used to look at heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation, respectively, and VIF is used to find multicollinearity. Results and Conclusion: The study concludes that there is a statistically significant relationship between lower CO2 emissions and increases in the percentage of female seats in the national parliament (-3.73) and higher female labour force participation (-6.04). The gender parity index (GPI) in tertiary education, which is -0.2997, does not, however, appear to have a statistically significant impact on CO2 emissions. Implications: This research can serve as a cause for redesigning gender-responsive environmental initiatives and promoting a more sustainable and equitable future. Originality/Value: This study contributes empirical knowledge to the body of literature by showing the potential contribution of women's empowerment in addressing environmental issues and emphasising the significance of taking gender into account in environmental policy and decision-making processes.

The Influence of Female Workers, Population, and Open Unemployment Rates on Female Labor Force Participation Levels in East Java

This research aims to determine the influence of three key factors that influence the level of labor force participation in East Java province, namely the female workforce, population size, and the female open unemployment rate. This research uses secondary data which involves collecting statistical data from official and trusted sources, such as the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) and other related agencies. Data analysis uses statistical methods and descriptive analysis to gain in-depth insight into the relationships between variables. Based on the calculation results, looking at the relationship between variables, it shows that the relationship between female workers and the female open unemployment rate is negative. Meanwhile, the relationship between population size and the female open unemployment rate is positive. According to the t test calculations, it was found that the variables of female labor and population had a positive and significant influence on the labor force participation rate. Meanwhile, the female open unemployment rate has a negative and significant influence on the labor force participation rate. According to the f test, the results show that the three variables have a positive and significant effect on the level of labor force participation.

Female Labor Force Participation and Fertility: A Survey Based Study of Southern Punjab, Pakistan

Rapidly increasing population is challenging for almost all the developing countries which triggers the issues like poverty, ill-health, illiteracy, lower living standard and environmental degradation. Female participation in labor force may increase the opportunity cost for bearing and rearing children. This increased opportunity cost for having children may put pressure on families to have less number of children and offer more women time in labor market. This induces the women to allocate more time to work and develops their preferences to have less number of children. However, taking the 400 respondents as sample size, this study was conducted in Multan division, known as area of southern Punjab, Pakistan. Keeping in view the non-negative nature of dependent variable, this study used Negative Binomial Model to find out the relationship between fertility and female labor force participation. The estimates of the model indicates that monthly income of wife, education and use of birth control devices are major factors lessening the fertility rate of females. However, this mechanism for lowering demand for children by family may be helpful in reducing fertility rate (number of children per women) and increasing economic activity and wellbeing by involving more and more women in paid work. In this way, a society can achieve the targets of birth control in an invisible way to impede the pace of undesirable population growth. Finding of proposed research may help population welfare department, Punjab and Pakistan Population council, provincial and federal government in formulating an indirect and invisible population/birth control policies to overcome the burden of over-population.

Effects of a large-scale program for the construction of daycare and preschool centers on cognitive skills and female employment

ABSTRACT This paper assesses the impacts of a large-scale program aimed at constructing daycare and preschool centers in Brazil named Proinfância, which funded new buildings in nearly 45% of the municipalities between 2008 and 2017. We find a significant increase in early education care in the jurisdictions that participated in the program more than a decade after it had started: 4 percentage points in the attendance rate for infants aged up to three and six percentage points for children aged 4 to 5. However, the improvements in public schools' scores in ‘Prova Brasil’, which is a national exam for elementary school children, are small (at most 1%). Despite this, the program significantly helped increase female labor force participation, especially considering low-educated workers, but also with a small magnitude (1 percentage point). The results suggest that a faster increase in the coverage of public infant education would lead to more pronounced effects on children's development and female participation in the workforce.

Repercussions of the Recent Economic Downturn on Birth Rates in Greece

A comprehensive analysis of historical economic recessions in developed nations confirms the significant impact of social and economic crises on fertility rates. Across different countries, these effects exhibit common characteristics, such as a modest influence on overall fertility rates, delays in the timing of first childbirth linked to later marriages or unions, and a correlation between unemployment and age-specific fertility. Countries with established family policies and robust social security systems tend to experience less pronounced changes in fertility behavior during economic crises. The recent economic downturn in Greece unfolded amidst unique social conditions, including increased female labor force participation, widespread use of reliable contraception allowing for delayed childbearing, and escalating social security and healthcare costs due to an aging population. These factors may influence reproductive decisions and exacerbate the adverse effects of the recession on fertility rates. This study utilizes the latest official data from Greece to examine the impact of the current economic crisis on fertility levels and their evolution over time.

Measuring the Queen Bee Phenomenon in technically efficient firms: implications from Southeast Asian manufacturers

This study examines the “Queen Bee Phenomenon,” that is, Southeast Asian manufacturers having female CEOs and owners. In addition, the buffering effect of female CEOs and owners on manufacturers seeking higher technical efficiencies is also examined in this research. This study uses the fractional regression and two-limit Tobit regression models to examine a combined set of cross-sectional data from surveys conducted by the World Bank, consisting of 3471 manufacturers in Southeast Asia, including those in Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Our results find that the “Queen Bee Phenomenon” does not exist in Southeast Asian manufacturing enterprises. Furthermore, manufacturers with higher technical efficiency levels are likely to hire fewer female workers; nevertheless, if female CEOs and owners run these technically efficient firms, hiring more female workers can be noticed. This research demonstrates that globalization through FDI and exports may promote female labor force participation among Southeast Asian enterprises and those seeking greater technical efficiencies.

Pengaruh Kesehatan Reproduksi Wanita dan Pemberdayaan Wanita Terhadap Tingkat Partisipasi Angkatan Kerja Wanita di Indonesia

This study aims to find out and analyze how the influence of women's reproductive health and women's empowerment on the participation rate of the female workforce in Indonesia. This study used secondary data sourced from the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics with the research variables grouped into two parts, namely the bond variable which in this study was determined as the female labor force participation rate and the independent variables consisting of women's life expectancy, young women's marriage, female mother, female education level, female per capita income and female involvement in parliament. This study uses panel data regression analysis with the selected method, namely the Common Effect Model (CEM). The results showed that women's life expectancy, young women's marriage, women's fertility rates and women's involvement in parliament each had a negative and insignificant effect on women's labor force participation. Women's education level has a negative and significant effect on female labor force participation and women's per capita income has a positive and significant effect on female labor force participation.

Globalization and Female Participation in Labor Force: Evidence from Developing Nations

Today, the inclusion of women in the political, social and economic spheres is crucial for sustainable development. In this effort, globalization acts as a catalyst by creating relationships and opportunities that give women greater economic and social influence. This study is concerned with exploring the influence of globalization and its various dimensions, such as economic, social and political, on women's participation in the labor force in developing countries. We have collected panel data covering 131 developing countries over three years and specify four models that are estimated by the fixed effect method using the OLS within-effects. We explored that overall globalization, economic globalization and social globalization are positively and significantly associated with female participation in the labor force on average. In contrast, political globalization has an insignificant influence on female participation in the labor force. The results of other covariates suggest that female fertility rate, urban population and employment in the industrial sector are significant determinants of female participation in economic activity. Hence, on the basis of these results, it can be prescribed that policy should be formulated to support more economic and social integration at the global level in the context of developing countries.

Labor Force Participation of Central American Migrant Women in Mexico

Central Americans living in Mexico remain a small group (100 thousand) relative to the size of the Mexican population. However, they experienced accelerated growth between 2000 and 2020, with Guatemalans as the largest group and Hondurans as the most dynamic one. The previous literature has found a positive and significant, albeit decreasing, income advantage of Central American workers in Mexico. Meanwhile, the percentage of migrant women reported as spouses has gone down and the female labor force has increased. The paper uses information from the 2000, 2010, and 2020 Mexican censuses as well as the 2015 Intercensal Survey to compare access to the labor market for men and women from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras residing in Mexico. We compare marital status, female labor force participation, main economic sectors, human capital, and income levels of the men and women of each of the three nationalities considered, seeking to identify from a gender perspective the differentiated labor performance of each nationality.

Information technology, gender economic inclusion and environment sustainability in sub-Sahara Africa

PurposeThis study examines the relevance of information and communication technologies in the effect of gender economic inclusion on environmental sustainability.Design/methodology/approachThe focus is on a panel of 42 sub-Saharan African countries over the period 2005–2020. The empirical evidence is based on generalized method of moments. The environmental sustainability indicator used is CO2 emissions per capita. Three indicators of women’s economic inclusion are considered: female labour force participation, female employment and female unemployment. The chosen ICT indicators are mobile phone penetration, Internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions.FindingsThe results show that: (1) fixed broadband subscriptions represent the most relevant ICT moderator of gender economic inclusion for an effect on CO2 emissions; (2) negative net effects are apparent for the most part with fixed broadband subscriptions (3) both positive ICT thresholds (i.e., critical levels for complementary policies) and negative ICT thresholds (i.e., minimum ICT levels for negative net effects) are provided; (4) ICT synergy effects are apparent for female unemployment, but not for female employment. In general, the joint effect of ICTs or their synergies and economic inclusion should be a concern for policymakers in order to better ensure sustainable development. Moreover, the relevant ICT policy thresholds and mobile phone threshold for complementary policy are essential in promoting a green economy.Originality/valueThe study complements the extant literature by assessing linkages between information technology, gender economic inclusion and environmental sustainability.

Women's economic empowerment in Africa: Is economic globalization friend or foe?

AbstractThe proponents of globalization claim that economic globalization (EGLO) is a catalyst for women's economic empowerment (WEE), whereas the opponents of EGLO are of the view that it is detrimental to WEE, especially in developing countries, as it can exacerbate preexisting inequality. This study has examined the impact of EGLO on WEE from 2005 to 2020 for 45 African countries. The analysis disaggregated the EGLO variable into trade and financial globalizations to examine their individual impact on WEE. The system generalized method of moments is used as the estimation technique. The results show that overall EGLO, trade globalization and financial globalizations significantly promote WEE. Furthermore, the paper reveals that female labour force participation and human development expedite WEE. The results obtained from the analyses of the segregated data – official English and non‐English speaking countries – are consistent with the aggregated data. Given these findings, this paper sheds light on how WEE could be enhanced on the African continent. Promoting WEE has the potential to expedite the achievement of some of the sustainable development goals.