Female Participation Rates Research Articles

How and why accelerators enhance female entrepreneurship

This study was driven by an initial finding that female founders' participation rate in Israeli accelerators is significantly higher (15.3 %) than their participation rate in the Israeli startup sector (7.4 %). Linking accelerators' design to the known barriers to female entrepreneurship, we examined how accelerators may enhance female entrepreneurship by addressing their specific needs. Based on a dataset (N = 779) of structured interviews with startup founders who participated in accelerator programs in Israel during 2011–2019, we present evidence that female founders seek and gain more entrepreneurial knowledge, network building, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy during their participation in accelerators than do male founders. Female founders also seek to increase their legitimacy more than do their male counterparts but did not report making more progress in this aspect. Finally, both the goal of and progress in obtaining access to capital and improving fundraising skills received lower ratings from female founders than from male founders. We further ask whether accelerators are more helpful for women because they are better adapted to the female gender or because they are generally better adapted to founders with those background conditions that often characterize women. We found that the startup's stage of development and the founder's prior entrepreneurial experience mediated most gender differences, supporting the latter possibility. We discuss the implications of our findings for accelerators and other support programs as a means of increasing women's participation rates in innovative entrepreneurship.

The Influence of National Fertility Policy Adjustment on the Change of Female Labor Market Participation Rate

The population issue has always been the hot spot of our society. A series of population problems, such as aging population and insufficient labor force, force the country to constantly adjust the birth policy to improve the population structure and alleviate the pressure brought by the population problem to the country. In this context, the rate of female labor market participation has also changed significantly. This paper sorts out the relevant theoretical research on national maternity policy adjustment and affecting the participation of female labor market, analyzes the restriction factors of maternity policy adjustment on female labor market participation, studies the influence mechanism of maternity policy adjustment on female labor market participation, and puts forward targeted policy opinions.

Differences in incidence and type of injuries in recreational netball players of different ages

Introduction: The emergence of professional women’s sporting codes has stimulated growth in female participation at grassroots amateur levels, with netball leading female sports participation rates in Australia. Pathway programs directed at younger athletes increase their exposure, and combined with the adolescent growth spurt, likely increase injury risk. Yet few studies report injury rates of younger amateur players, and it is unknown whether injury rates or types of injury differ in younger compared to older players.

Inter-relationship among Female Labour - Force Participation, Fertility and Economic Development: Evidences from India

The female labour-force participation rate has been falling in India despite a sharp increase in economic growth and development. The falling share of the female population in the labour force is a matter of concern from a different perspective. It raises the question of the inclusiveness of economic growth. On the other way round, female workforce participation is having significance in regard to its contribution to economic growth. The fertility rate is considered another important component of this relationship. The present study makes an attempt to explore the relationship between female workforce participation, fertility, and economic development using ARDL-based time series analysis. The study observed the existence of long run cointegration among fertility, female – labour force participation and economic development. The result of the study shows fertility rate is negatively associated with economic development and female labour force participation. Further, economic development is inversely dependent on both female labour force participation rate and fertility rate. The findings of the study may contribute to the economic literature and be conducive to formulating a better economic policy in order to achieve economic growth with gender equality.

Participation Rates Of Female And Male Runners Predict Marathon Performance

Males are ~11% faster than females in marathon running at the elite level, largely due to sex differences in physiology. This sex difference in performance, however, is often greater than 11% especially in older runners with lower proportion of female runners. PURPOSE: To determine whether the sex difference in marathon performance is predicted by the number of male to female runners and how this prediction changes among lower placed runners within an age group. METHODS: The number of male and female finishers within 10-year age groups (20 - 79 years) and the running times of the top 10 age group runners who competed in the Chicago marathon (1996-2018) and New York City (NYC) marathon (1980-2019) were retrieved from public databases. Univariate ANOVA and correlation analysis determined differences and associations between the ratios of male:female finishers and the sex difference in velocity. RESULTS: The ratio of male:female runners increased with older age groups (p < 0.001) and place of the runner from 1st to 10th place (p < 0.001) for both marathons. Males were faster than females across all age groups for the Chicago (17.4% ± 0.2%) and NYC marathon (18.8% ± 0.1%). The sex difference, however, was smallest for 1st placed runners and largest for the 10th placed for Chicago (14.8 ± 0.5% to 18.5 ± 0.4%) and NYC (15.9 ± 0.4% to 20.3 ± 0.3%). The ratio of the number of males:females was correlated with the sex difference in velocity (%) for Chicago (n = 2325, r2 = 0.28, p < 0.001) and NYC (n = 4223, r2 = 0.32, p < 0.001) in that fewer females relative to males indicated a larger sex difference in velocity. The strength of the associations progressively increased between 1st and 10th place. Combined for both marathons, the association for 1st place was r2 = 0.20 (p < 0.001, n = 709) and 10th place was r2 = 0.38 (p < 0.001, n = 614). Thus, the number of males:females explained 20% of the variance in the sex differences in velocity of 1st placed runners but 38% of the sex difference in 10th placed runners. CONCLUSION: Lower participation rates of females in the marathon potentially masks an accurate understanding of the contribution of physiological sex differences, especially in lower ranked and older runners. This data provides a window into the impact of the inequity of testing less females than males in studies of human performance.

Association between mother’s work status and child stunting in urban slums: a cross-sectional assessment of 346 child-mother dyads in Dhaka, Bangladesh (2020)

BackgroundA growing literature highlights the increased risk of stunting among children growing up in informal or slum settlements. Despite relatively high rates of female labor force participation in slums, there is limited evidence on relationship between mother’s work participation and nutritional outcomes of children in these settings.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study in two large slums (Korail and Tongi) of Dhaka and Gazipur, Bangladesh to assess the association between maternal work and childhood stunting in a low-income urban context. Logistic regression models estimated unconditional and conditional associations between maternal work status and 1) child stunting, 2) child morbidity and dietary intake, and 3) health and hygiene behaviors. Subgroup analyses were done by type of child care support available.ResultsAfter adjusting for variations in individual and household level characteristics, we found that children of working mothers had nearly twice the odds of being stunted than children of non-working mothers (OR 1.84, 95%CI 1.05-3.23). Large differences in stunting were found by available care support: compared to children of non-working mothers, children of working mothers with nuclear-type family support had 4.5 times increased odds of stunting (OR 4.49, 95%CI 1.81-11.12), while no odds differential was found for children of working mothers with an extended-type family support (OR 0.69, 95%CI 0.30-1.59).ConclusionsMaternal employment is associated with a substantial increase in the odds of child stunting in the slum areas studied. Given that these effects only appear to arise in the absence of adequate family support, integrating appropriate childcare support measures for low-income urban working mothers might be an effective strategy to help reduce the prevalence of chronic undernutrition among slum children.

Women’s Literacy Rate and Women’s Labor Participation in ASEAN

Women have an essential contribution to economic growth and development. However, according to data, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) is still relatively high in developing countries, so special attention should be paid to aspects of women’s empowerment, health, and participation in the labor market as an indicator in measuring GII. In women’s empowerment, women’s education and women’s literacy are thought to affect women’s labor force participation. This study aims to examine and analyze the effect of women’s literacy rates on female labor force participation in ASEAN countries from 2010- 2017. The method used to analyze the effect on the model is the static panel data method. The results show that countries with high female literacy rates also have high female labor participation rates. The results help economists and policymakers evaluate measures to optimize women’s labor market decisions and empower women by improving women’s literacy rates.

Labour Force Projections in India Until 2060 and Implications for the Demographic Dividend

While India is entering the period of demographic dividend, female labour participation rates remain very low. This paper aims to provide the very first labour force projections for India and its regions up to the year 2060. Projections are achieved using a discrete-time microsimulation model in which changes in population size and composition come from the interaction between demographic characteristics, educational attainment, and secular tendencies. Labour force participation rates are estimated at the individual level using personal characteristics as predictors. Results show that under constant labour force participation rates, the labour force dependency ratio (non-workers/workers) is very unlikely to attain favourable levels, which compromises the potential demographic dividend that the country could gain from its favourable age-structure. At the subnational level, the forecast yields the most favourable dependency ratio in 2060 in the regions that combine both a low-age dependency ratio and a higher participation of women. Results moreover suggest that female labour force participation is a better driver of the labour force dependency ratio than the age composition.

DETERMINANS OF THE FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION RATE IN THE PROVINCE OF BALI INDONESIA

National development is closely related to population issues related to employment. Women's decision to participate in the labor market is not only influenced by marital status, but also by education, wages, and economic growth. The purpose of this study is to analyze the magnitude of the influence of education, the number of wages, and the magnitude of the influence of economic growth on the participation rate of the female workforce in Bali Province. This research uses the panel data regression analysis method. The results showed that the education variable and the minimum wage variable had a positive and significant effect on the participation rate of the female workforce in Bali Province from 2016 – to 2020. The economic growth variable had a positive and insignificant effect on the female workforce participation rate in Bali during the same period. Keywords: Bali Province, Level of Education, Provincial Minimum Wage, Economic Growth.

Towards Gender Equality in The Cambodian Labor Market – Gender Gaps Prevent Females from Stable Income Generation

Cambodia has enjoyed a decade of macroeconomic stability and growth and is increasingly integrating with the region. Nevertheless, a few topics remain challenging as Cambodia strives for middle-income status by 2030. One of these is gender disparity in the labor market. While Cambodia has one of the highest female labor market participation rates in Asia, most women still face horizontal and vertical gender inequality. Such gender disparities in the labor market negatively affect the macroeconomic efficiencies of developing countries as well as stable income generation of females. As the social development of modern civilizations is based highly on gender equality, gender stereotypes are likely to prevent Cambodia from transforming into a society of equal opportunity. While a previous World Bank quantitative research report provided statistical insights into gender-related inequality in Cambodia (Gavalyugova &amp; Cunningham 2019), many constraints underlying gender inequality in the labor market remained largely unclear. In order to develop new programs concentrating on increasing female involvement in the labor market, it is necessary to investigate the problems and challenges women face when entering the labor market in Cambodia. To contribute to filling this knowledge gap, this study collected and analyzed qualitative data. Qualitative focus group discussions and key informant interviews were held to gain a deeper understanding of mechanisms underlying gender disparities in the Cambodian labor market.

Association between labor force participation rates and the total fertility rate in Iran: gender aspect

The influence of economic growth on the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has been widely discussed and demonstrated in many research papers. The labor force participation rate and the unemployment rate as economic indicators play an important role in the TFR dynamics. Different studies have shown that fluctuations in female and male labor force participation rates have either positive or negative impacts on the TFR. In this study, we aim to investigate if there is any positive or negative correlation between female and male labor participation rates and the TFR in Iran. We applied time-series analysis for the period 1991-2019. We used secondary data from official bodies such as Iran’s Ministry of Cooperatives Labor and Social Welfare, the World Bank data, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the International Development Association, the Statistical Center of Iran, and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Dynamics to explain the trends in labor force participation rates, unemployment rates, and the TFR. We also applied Pearson correlation analysis and regression analysis to measure the strength and direction of these relationships. The results of the study show that the female labor force participation rate has a negative correlation (r = -0.783, sig. = 0.000), and the male labor force participation rate has a positive correlation with the TFR (r = 0.827, sig. = 0.000). Men’s unemployment seems to have a negative correlation (r = -0.366, sig. = 0.050), and women’s unemployment seems to have no correlation with the TFR. Considering the economic problems in Iran, more women will enter the labor market in the nearest future, therefore they postpone their marriage and the TFR will continue to decline.

The Declining Rate of Female Labor Participation in India: Causes and Consequences

Significant human activities were started underway in India since the Holocene Period (10,000 years ago) andcivilization also was in progress while Mesopotamia and Egypt have long been recognized in between c.7000- 600 BCE for their celebrated contributions to social and cultural development. A large number of women inIndia are actively engaged in traditional and non-traditional work and seriously contribute to society for overallgrowth and development. However, there are far fewer women than men in the paid workforce. In urban India, women participate in the workforce in impressive numbers, as such only 30 percent in the software industry. This paper had tried to investigate the reasons behind the less number of women involved in the workforce aswell as the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in India. All data had been collected from secondarysources and presented via tables and graphs from different angles. It had concluded with somerecommendations to get out from the critical trap regarding women in India

Small female citation advantages for US journal articles in medicine

Female under-representation continues in senior roles within academic medicine, potentially influenced by a perception that female research has less citation impact. This article provides systematic evidence of (a) female participation rates from the perspective of published journal articles in 46 Scopus medical subject categories 1996–2018 and (b) gender differences in citation rates 1996–2014. The results show female proportion increases 1996–2018 in all fields and a female majority of first-authored articles in two-fifths of categories, but substantial differences between fields. A paper is 7.3 times more likely to have a female first author in Obstetrics and Gynaecology than in Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. Only three fields had a female last author majority by 2018, a probable side effect of ongoing problems with appointing female leaders. Female first-authored research tended to be more cited than male first-authored research in most fields (59%), although with a maximum difference of only 5.1% (log-transformed normalised citations). In contrast, male last-authored research tends to be more cited than female last-authored research, perhaps due to cases where a senior male has attracted substantial funding for a project. These differences increase if team sizes are not accounted for in the calculations. Since female first-authored research is cited slightly more than male first-authored research, properly analysed bibliometric data considering career gaps should not disadvantage female candidates for senior roles.

Information and Social Norms: Experimental Evidence on the Labor Market Aspirations of Saudi Women

How important are social norms, information gaps and family constraints in explaining the low rates of female labor force participation (FLFP) in conservative societies? To answer this question, we conducted a field experiment embedded in a survey of female university students at a large public university in Saudi Arabia. We randomly provided one subset of individuals with information on the labor market and aspirations of their female peers (T1), while another subset was provided with this information along with a prime that made their parents more salient (T2). We find that expectations of working among those in the Control group are quite high, yet students underestimate the expected labor force attachment of their female peers. We show that social information matters: relative to the Control group, expectations about own labor force participation are significantly higher in the T1 group, which is driven primarily by receiving information about their peers’ aspirations. We show that T2, as intended, causes students to report a higher importance of parents’ approval of their choices. However, we do not find that the impact of information is counteracted by evoking parental expectations: impacts for the T2 group on labor market expectations are not smaller than those for T1 group. However, T2 does lead to higher expectations of working in Education and the Public sectors - sectors that are more socially acceptable for women, suggesting that parental expectations their daughters’ labor market aspirations but partly shape them.

Female Labor Participation Rate and Economic Growth in South Asian Countries

Female Labor Participation Rate and Economic Growth in South Asian Countries

A PERCEPTIONAL STUDY ON THE TYPE OF WORK WOMEN UNDERTAKE IN TOP POSITION IN SELECTED SERVICE SECTOR WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO PUNE

India has one of the lowest female labor force participation rates in the world and a majority of women work in the informal sector. The World Economic Forum said that at the it will take India 108 years to close the overall gender gap and 202 years to bring equality in the workplace. Even though there are more women graduates, the number of those joining the corporate sector and rising to the top remains abysmally low. (Thakur, 2020). In the recent study by Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI)India Ranked 23 globally, India’s female representation on boards has increased by 4.3 percentage points over the past five years to 15.2% in 2019.Though female participation rate increased but it is significantly below the global average of 20.6% (Pathak ,2019). India is near the bottom of the rankings for female representation at senior management levels, only marginally better than Japan and South Korea. Accepting the fact that female participation is top position is very less in India from the above figures this paper aims to examine the women in the top position as well as threw a light on area or type of work in which women are engaged in select service sector in Pune city

Social capital and board gender diversity

AbstractResearch question/issueThis study explores the relationship between the level of social capital in the location of a firm's headquarter and the presence of female board directors. We measure local social capital by civic norms (i.e., voter turnout and census participation) and density of social networks (i.e., community, professional, church, and sports). We hypothesize that greater levels of local social capital will increase the share of female directors on local firms' boards, including women attaining a critical mass presence as well as member and chair roles on the board's audit, compensation, and nomination committees.Research findings/insightsUsing 53,671 observations from U.S. public companies from 2000 to 2018, we find that firms headquartered in counties with higher levels of social capital have higher percentages of women directors. The results are robust to the inclusion of local female labor participation rate, religiosity, and other county‐level demographics as well as instrumental variable and propensity score matching models. We also find that female directors in firms located in high social capital counties are more likely to achieve a critical mass; attain membership of audit, compensation, and/or nomination committees; and serve as chair of audit and nomination committees than female directors in firms located in low social capital counties. A robustness check with an international sample reveals similar results.Theoretical/academic implicationsWe build on institutional theory to highlight that the informal institution of social capital, in the form of U.S. county‐level civic norms and social networks, shapes gender composition of local firms' boards. We build institutional theory at two levels of the quest for “fit” to the environment: firms seeking “fit” by creating more leadership opportunities for women, and individuals pursuing “fit” by moving up in corporate careers. We outline theoretical mechanisms including underlying informal societal norms of greater trust, tolerance for gender equality, respect for civil liberties, cooperative and helpful behavior, transparency, external monitoring, and less discrimination and information asymmetry.Practitioner/policy implicationsOur findings offer insights to policymakers and practitioners interested in how local social capital shapes firm and individual actions. Our policy‐related findings suggest that communities with greater civic norms are characterized by greater individual commitment to and trust in communities, equality, helpful behavior, and external monitoring, and less cynicism, and this context enables women to reach corporations' highest echelons. To maximize career prospects, women can attain leadership and other skills through local societal associations and build and strengthen ties in counties with higher levels of social capital. Firms should actively support community associations and direct philanthropy towards building social fabric in local communities.

Women\u2019s experiences of accessing individualized disability supports: gender inequality and Australia\u2019s National Disability Insurance Scheme

BackgroundCare services in industrialized nations are increasingly moving towards individualized funding models, which aim to increase individuals’ flexibility, choice and control over their services and supports. Recent research suggests that such schemes have the potential to exacerbate inequalities, however none has explored gendered dimensions of inequality. The Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a major individualized funding reform, and has a female participation rate of only 37%, despite women and girls making up half of the disability population.MethodsThe objective of the study is to explore possible gendered barriers to applying for and receiving adequate support through the NDIS, and to suggest directions for future research. We report on semi-structured interviews with 30 women with disability and explore their experiences with the NDIS and their perspectives on challenges associated with being a woman seeking disability support in Australia. We analyse the results using thematic analysis.ResultsMost women in our sample reported differences between the experiences of men and women seeking disability support in Australia. Commonly reported gendered barriers to women being able to access the right supports for their disability involve a) confidence, negotiation and self-advocacy, b) gendered discrimination in diagnosis and the medical system, which has implications for disability support access, and c) support for and recognition of caring roles.ConclusionsThese results suggest that women are not receiving equitable treatment with regard to the NDIS, and that further research and policy reform are needed to ensure that women with disability are not further disadvantaged as a result of the move toward individualized funding models.

Gender pay gap in explaining female entrepreneurship – industry perspective of selected European countries

PurposeAlthough several theoretical concepts imply different determinants of female entrepreneurship, the literature lacks a consensus on their significance. The aim of this paper is to verify how industry specificity influences the gender pay gap and its relation to female entrepreneurship.Design/methodology/approachThe authors distinguish industries based on the gender equality level, measured jointly by two factors: pay gap level and female participation rate. The study has been conducted among 22 European countries with relatively similar institutional backgrounds. The authors carry out the analysis based on the panel regression models, which enable the authors to verify two predefined research questions.FindingsThe results of panel regression models indicate that industry specificity plays a significant role in the relation between the pay gap and female entrepreneurship. Generally, it can be concluded that gender pay gap as a measure of gender inequality is dependent on the industry specificity. The dependence is especially visible in the breakdown of male- and female-dominated industries.Originality/valueThe findings are consistent with the assumption that the gender pay gap is a discriminatory factor for women willing to become entrepreneurs in certain industries. The findings of the study may constitute a vital tool in planning to overcome it.

Does Financial Development Contribute to Fertility Decline in Developed and Developing Countries?

The “old-age security” hypotheses propose that financial market can affect individuals’ decision to have less or more children. In previous literature, children are considered an asset and investment at low level of financial development that could bring returns and security during old age. Nevertheless, at higher level of financial development, individuals have more access to fund and opportunity for investment during old age and as a result the demand for children is less. Furthermore, increase in female labour participation rate in the economic sectors will also discourage them to have more children. The development of commercial bank and non-banking financial institutions (NBFIs) has broadened credit accessibility and investment opportunity to household over the last decades. Well-developed financial system facilitates firms to access to the credit market and enhanced production efficiency and promote increases in wages in the modern market. Household have choice to move from traditional market (low wages, high fertility rate) to work in modern sector (high wages, low fertility rate). The purpose of the study is to investigate the impact of financial development on fertility for selected developed and developing countries. We employ generalized method of moment (GMM) model using annual data from 2005 to 2011. Our results found that financial development and fertility has inverse relationship for both developed and developing countries.