Male Labor Force Participation Research Articles

Unveiling the Gap: Exploring Gender Inequality in Economic Empowerment Across India

Gender inequality in economic empowerment remains a pervasive issue across the globe, manifesting in various forms such as unequal pay, limited access to economic resources, and disparities in employment opportunities and career advancement. This systemic imbalance stifles not only individual potential but also hampers overall economic growth and development. While this inequality exists universally, it is particularly pronounced in Indian society, rooted in deeply embedded cultural norms and historical gender roles. Traditionally, women's subordinate position has deprived them of asset ownership and participation in financial decision-making. Additionally, they have been denied employment opportunities and face discrimination in the labor market. These factors have led to a significant gender gap in economic participation at both household and societal levels. In this context, this study attempts to examine the gender inequality in economic empowerment in India through the lens of asset ownership, wage disparity, and labor force participation. This study is based on secondary data taken from the reports of the National Family Health Survey and the Periodic Labour Force Survey of the Government of India. The study found that, the female labour force participation rate was 46.2 per cent less than the male labour force participation rate and on an average, women earned Rs. 136.32 less than men in daily wage earnings. The study concludes that addressing gender inequality in economic empowerment requires a comprehensive approach at the policy, organizational, and societal level, including implementing and enforcing gender-sensitive labor laws, promoting equal pay for equal work, and providing affordable childcare and parental leave to level the playing field.

Literate & Technical Female Labour Force Participation in Pakistan’s Economic Change

This study examines the relationship among “female labour force participation”, “technical education”, and “economic growth” in Pakistan. As we know, there is more prosperity when skilled females become part of the economy. The authors assessed the secondary data sources from 2001-2020 and applied various diagnostics based on the theoretical background and research methodologies. Specifically, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag is applied for analysis as per the nature of the data. This study provides insight into how increasing the “female labour force participation rate” with “technical education” spurs “economic growth” in Pakistan. The empirical results show that technical education, female labor force participation rate, male labor force participation rate, and gross fixed capital formation positively influence economic growth. Only the inflation rate and exchange rate hurt economic growth. This study aims to guide policymakers, educators, and economic stakeholders towards measures to maximize the benefits of increased “female labour force participation” and improved technical education in Pakistan. Its results are giving more deep understanding of some critical aspects of women’s employment and empowerment and provide more practical ideas for prosperous future of Pakistan. However, the study has some limitations like constraints in resources, time and specific targeted data.

Examining the Dynamics of Labour Force Participation, Carbon Dioxide Emission and Population Health in Sub-Saharan Africa

This study examined the dynamic causal relationship between population health, carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and labour force participation. The study employed the block exogeneity wald test after estimating a panel VAR model using data for 24 sub-Saharan African countries from 1990 to 2018. The dynamic interactions among the variables and effect of shocks was also examined using the variance decomposition analysis and impulse response functions. For robustness, the estimation was done using both aggregate labour force participation and disaggregated labour force participation inorder to investigate the differentials by gender. The results showed evidence of a feedback effect between life expectancy and total labour force participation. This also holds for male labour force participation however, a unidirectional causality was found from female labour force participation to life expectancy. A one standard deviation shock in CO2 emission had a negative impact on life expectancy. Life expectancy also had the greatest contribution to variations in CO2 emission. Male labour force participation shocks had a consistently negative impact over the ten-year period, however, shocks from female labour force participation had the least impacts on CO2 emission. Environmental reforms encouraging less polluting energy and technology use is important for CO2 emission reduction, which further increases life expectancy and ultimately labour force participation rates.

The relationship between female labor force participation and violent conflicts in South Asia

ABSTRACT This paper explores the link between the prevalence of violent conflicts and the extremely low female labor force participation rates observed in South Asian countries. The Labor Force Surveys from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, and Pakistan are merged with the Global Terrorism Database to estimate the effect of terrorist attacks on female labor supply. We exploit the geographical variation in exposure to violence to compare administrative units exposed to events with those not exposed. We find that for each wounded and killed person, female labor force participation falls 0.000026 and 0.0001 percentage point, respectively, while male labor force participation remains unchanged, thus widening the gender labor participation gap. We test the non-linearity of various violence effects, finding that the deterring effect is higher in administrative units with higher baseline FLFP rates. We also provide suggestive evidence that terrorism has a negative effect on the intensive margin of female labor supply.

Relationship between GDP & Inflation in India and China

This paper explores the relation between inflation and Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in India and China during the time period from 1991 to 2021. The study analyzes time-series data from the World Development Indicators database and employs Autoregressive distributed Lag model (ARDL) and error correction models to examine the short-term and long-term dynamics. The research uses the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF), Phillips-Perron (PP), and Kwiatkowski-Phillips-Schmidt-Shin (KPSS) tests to check for stationarity in the variables (including GDP, GCF, Inflation, Male and Female labor force participation, and FDI). Bounds F and T tests are used to check for cointegration, and a Granger causality test is conducted to identify any causal relationships between the variables. The findings reveal that there is a positive short-term relationship between GDP and inflation in India, whereas in China, there is a positive short-term and negative long-term relationship between GDP and Inflation. Additionally, the study reveals that there is no causal relationship between GDP and inflation in India, while in China, the causality runs unidirectionally from GDP to inflation. Policymakers in India may need to adopt measures that balance the need for economic expansion with the need to maintain inflation within a manageable range to ensure sustainable economic growth. In China policymakers may need to focus on long-term strategies to manage inflation and maintain sustainable economic growth at the same time prioritizing strategies that promote economic growth as a means of managing inflation.. Key Word: Inflation; GDP; India; China; ARDL

Gender and International Revenue

This study's primary objective is to empirically examine the impact of gender composition in the workforce on government revenue at the international level. The labor market is essential in accounting and economics due to its significant role in shaping an economy. This study utilizes a comprehensive dataset of observations from 202 nations globally over ten years. The study's empirical findings highlight the crucial significance of efficient governance in labor markets. The correlation between male labor force participation and government revenue highlights the importance of gender dynamics in the workforce as a potentially critical factor in economic outcomes. This observation stimulates additional investigation into the methods and policies promoting fairer and more efficient labor markets, leading to increased government income and excellent overall financial stability.

The impact and mechanism of the relaxation of fertility policy on income distribution: Evidence from China's Selective Two Children Policy

<p><big>Numerous studies have explored the impact of family planning policies on income distribution, but the impact of policy relaxation remains largely unexplored. To address this gap, we investigate the effects of China's selective two-child policy, which was implemented in 2013, using provincial panel data from 2011 to 2016. Specifically, we employ a generalized difference-in-differences model to empirically analyze the impact and mechanism of the policy relaxation on residents' income distribution. Our findings are as follows. Firstly, the selective two-child policy has narrowed the income distribution gap. Secondly, male labor force participation, the urban-rural income gap, and disposable income serve as mechanisms through which the selective two-child policy affects income distribution. Thirdly, the robustness test confirms the robustness of our conclusions. Finally, we observe regional heterogeneity in the impact of the selective two-child policy on residents' income distribution. Specifically, the policy has had significant effects in the western and northeastern regions, but not in other regions. Overall, our results shed light on the impact of childbearing policies on income distribution, providing important insights for optimizing China's childbearing policies and promoting common prosperity.</big></p>

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.

Labour force participation and unemployment rate: does discouraged worker effect hypothesis or unemployment invariance hypothesis hold in Africa?

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the existence of discouraged worker effect hypothesis and unemployment invariance hypothesis in Africa, including its five regional groups. Specifically, the study tests the existence of co-integration between different categories of labour force participation and unemployment rate, total male and female labour force participation and the unemployment rate for age brackets 15–24, 15–64 and 15+, respectively.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses the data of 52 countries in Africa which cover the period from 1991 to 2018. Three co-integration estimation techniques namely, the Kao co-integration test, Pedroni co-integration test and Westerlund co-integration test are used to validate the existence of co-integration between the labour force participation and unemployment rate. The dynamic ordinary least square is further used to explore the impact of the unemployment rate on labour force participation, while the pooled ordinary least squares (POLS) that accounts for individual country and time effects is employed for robustness check.FindingsExcept for Southern Africa, it is found that the discouraged worker effect hypothesis holds in Africa and the rest of its regions. This suggests that there is a long-run relationship between labour force participation rate and unemployment rate irrespective of age group and gender classifications. To some extent, the authors discover the existence of cross-sectional dependence in the panel. There is also an inverse relationship between labour force participation and the unemployment rate. This implies that when the unemployment rate is high, labour force participation tends to decline. The results are, however, sensitive to the choice of estimation method.Research limitations/implicationsThe study is limited to the examination of linear co-integration between labour force participation and the unemployment rate in Africa and its five regions. The future study can investigate the possibility of a nonlinear or an asymmetric relationship between labour for participation and the unemployment rate.Social implicationsThus, a policy framework that would generate employment creation is greatly required in Africa.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is a pioneer work that addresses the issue of co-integration between labour force participation and unemployment rate for Africa and its five regions taking into consideration gender and age brackets of labour force participation and unemployment.

Jointly Modeling Male and Female Labor Participation and Unemployment

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the most abrupt changes in U.S. labor force participation and unemployment since the Second World War, with different consequences for men and women. This paper models the U.S. labor market to help to interpret the pandemic’s effects. After replicating and extending Emerson’s (2011) model of the labor market, we formulate a joint model of male and female unemployment and labor force participation rates for 1980–2019 and use it to forecast into the pandemic to understand the pandemic’s labor market consequences. Gender-specific differences were particularly large at the pandemic’s outset; lower labor force participation persists.

The impact of gender inequality in education and employment on economic performance in Turkey: evidence from a cointegration approach

PurposeThis study aims to empirically examine the impact of gender-based inequalities in both education and employment on economic performance using the dataset of Turkey for the period 1975–2018.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs Johansen cointegration tests to analyze the existence of a long-term relation among variables. Furthermore, dynamic ordinary least squares (DOLS) and fully modified ordinary least squares (FMOLS) estimation methods are performed to determine the long-run coefficients.FindingsThe findings from the Johansen cointegration analysis confirm that there is a long-term cointegration relation between variables. Moreover, DOLS and FMOLS results reveal that improvements in gender equality in both education and employment have a strong and significant impact on real gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in the long term.Originality/valueThe authors expect that this study will make remarkable contributions to the future academic studies and policy implementation, as it examines the relation among the variables by including the school life expectancy from primary to tertiary based on the gender parity index (GPI), the gross enrollment ratio from primary to tertiary based on GPI and the ratio of female to male labor force participation (FMLFP) rate.

Influence of Capital Markets, Inflation, and Demographics on the Growth of Pension Fund Assets in the State Organization of Islamic Cooperation

The percentage of pension receipts that is still low is experienced by many developing countries in the continent of Asia and Africa in terms of providing pension funds for their citizens. This study seeks to analyze the effect of growth in pension fund assets in OIC member countries. The measurement of the growth of pension fund assets is viewed through the aspects of the number of stock traded, the equity index, the inflation rate, male labor force participation, female labor force participation, the working age, and the retirement age. In addition, this study uses a panel data regression analysis method with the period 2010 to 2019. The results show that there are variables of male labor force participation, female labor force participation, working-age, and retirement age that have a significant effect. Male labor force participation, working-age, and retirement age have a positive effect on the growth of pension fund assets, while female labor force participation has a negative effect on pension fund assets. It can be said that the demographic aspects can influence the growth of pension fund assets in OIC member countries in the period 2010 to 2019.

Women at work in the United States since 1860: An analysis of unreported family workers

Estimated labor force participation rates among free women in the pre-Civil War period were exceedingly low. This is due, in part, to cultural or societal expectations of the role of women and the lack of thorough enumeration by Census takers. This paper develops an augmented labor force participation rate for free women in 1860 and compares it with the augmented rate for 1920 and today. Our methodology identifies women who are likely providing informal and unenumerated labor for market production in support of a family business, that is, unreported family workers. These individuals are not coded in the original data as formally working, but are likely to be engaged in the labor force on the basis of the self-employment of other relatives in their household. Unreported family workers are classified into four categories: farm, merchant, craft, and boardinghouse keepers. Using microdata, the inclusion of these workers more than triples the free female labor force participation rate in the 1860 Census from 16 percent to 57 percent, more than doubles the participation rate in the 1920 Census from 24 percent to 50 percent, and has a small effect on the currently measured rate of 56 percent (2015-2019 American Community Survey). This suggests that rather than a steep rise from a very low level in the female labor force participation rate since 1860, it has in fact always been high and fairly stable over time. In contrast, the effect of including unreported family workers in the male augmented labor force participation rate is relatively small.

Macroeconomic effects of maternity leave legislation in emerging economies

This study evaluates the relationships between maternity leave duration, female and male labor force participation, and aggregate productivity in emerging countries. We build a comprehensive maternity leave data set for a panel of emerging countries at annual frequency, augmenting publicly available data on maternity leave with narrative evidence that identifies the exact dates when legislative changes to maternity leave policies were enacted and enforced. Maternity leave is associated with positive but limited effects on female labor force participation, but it is associated with significant increases in male labor force participation. There is some evidence that increases in maternity leave duration are associated with decreases in productivity in the short run, primarily driven by the duration channel where long leave leads to temporary declines in productivity, but there are no significant adverse effects at longer horizons.

The Effect of Gender and the Internet on the Level of Corruption in ASEAN 5 (1997-2019)

The level of corruption in ASEAN countries, especially ASEAN 5, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines, although gradually declining but still in the high category. This study aims to analyze the factors that influence the level of corruption in ASEAN-5 countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines). The level of corruption is proxied using the Corruption Perception Index (CPI), while the independent variable is internet users, and gender is proxied by female labor force participation and male labor force participation. The results show that the increasing number of internet users will reduce the level of corruption as indicated by the increased CPI value. As for gender, increasing female labor force participation will reduce the level of corruption, but the opposite result is shown by the participation of the male labor force. The policy implication of this study is the need to expand the use of the internet and provide wider opportunities for women to work, especially in public offices, to reduce the level of corruption

The Effects of Human Capital by Gender on Economic Growth

The issue of human capital by gender has been sparsely discussed in previous literature especially male labour force. The contribution of both genders to economic growth has intensified every year. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effects of human capital by gender on economic growth in Malaysia. Data ranging from 1982 to 2018 were analysed by using the ARDL approach. The results show that higher male labour force participation rates can boost economic growth in the short run and long run in Malaysia. Higher female labour force participation rates, on the other hand, can reduce economic growth in the short run and long run in Malaysia. Therefore, the government should encourage more male labour to participate in the labour market by giving incentives. More job opportunities should be created for both genders.

Women at Work in the United States Since 1860: An Analysis of Unreported Family Workers

Estimated labor force participation rates among free women in the pre-Civil War period were exceedingly low. This is due, in part, to cultural or societal expectations of the role of women and the lack of thorough enumeration by Census takers. This paper develops an augmented labor force participation rate for free women in 1860 and compares it with the augmented rate for 1920 and today. Our methodology identifies women who are likely providing informal and unenumerated labor for market production in support of a family business, that is, unreported family workers. These individuals are not coded in the original data as formally working, but are likely to be engaged in the labor force on the basis of the self- employment of other relatives in their household. Unreported family workers are classified into four categories: farm, merchant, craft, and boardinghouse keepers. Using microdata, the inclusion of these workers more than triples the free female labor force participation rate in the 1860 Census from 16 percent to 57 percent, more than doubles the participation rate in the 1920 Census from 24 percent to 50 percent, and has a trivial effect on the currently measured rate of 56 percent (2015-2019 American Community Survey). This suggests that rather than a steep rise from a very low level in the female labor force participation rate since 1860, it has in fact always been high and fairly stable over time. In contrast, the effect of including unreported family workers in the male augmented labor force participation rate is relatively small.

Labour Force Participation Rate and it Implications on Food Security, Fertility Rate and Economic Growth in West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) Countries

The study investigated the impact of labour force participation rate and its implications on food security, fertility rate and economic growth in the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ). Using data from 6 countries over the period of 1990 tо 2016 and pool autoregressive dіstrіbutеd lаg (PАRDL) bоunds tеstіng рrосеdurе was employed. The result from the study showed that female labour force participation and health expenditure per capita determine food security and male labour force participation, female labour force participation, gross capita formation, health education per capita and enrolment in secondary education are the variables that determine fertility rate, while male labour force participation, female labour force participation, health expenditure per capita and enrolment in secondary education affect GDP per capita. The study recommended that policies should be directed toward increasing female labour force participation which will compliment male labour force participation as well as increase decent and productive work opportunities for female workers which will promote GDP per capita, leading to reduction in fertility rate and promote food security among member countries. Furthermore, family-friendly policies will further encourage females to participate in the labour market. Therefore, more efforts should be made to promote female labour force participation as the entire WAMZ countries will benefit from the growth and welfare improvement that it will generate. WAMZ countries governments need build their capacity through investment in health and education in order to enhance productivity of the labour force which will lead to economic growth, reduction in fertility rate as well as promote food security. This study has contributed empirically and theoretically to the body of knowledge. The scope covered also makes the study uniquely robust and different from previous ones.

Agents of Socialization and Female Migrants’ Employment: The Influence of Mothers and the Country Context

Abstract Women around the world are on the move but find it difficult to secure jobs. Employment is vital for migrant integration as it affords financial security, autonomy in the family and helps to establish social contacts. Besides human capital, previous research has looked into ethnic origin and specific source country aspects as drivers of female migrant employment. By contrast, ideas of adolescence as the ‘impressionable’ years and individuals’ exposure to female employment at that time have not yet entered the discussion. However, these theoretical notions have previously been found to be highly predictive of employment in adulthood for natives. This study further investigates these theoretical ideas by using data on 2,047 female immigrants from the German Socio-Economic Panel. Female migrants’ employment and hours worked are analysed in multivariate regressions. The analyses focus on female migrants’ adolescent experiences with female employment in their family—namely, whether their mother worked—and in the broader labour market—measured by the female to male labour force participation rate—as explanatory variables. These two experiences are retrospectively captured for respondents at age 15. Analyses highlight the deep embeddedness of individuals in home country social norms and the power of role models during youth for later employment.

Labour force participation and job polarization: Evidence from Europe during the Great Recession

We document how differences in labour demand by gender explain the contrasting evolutions of labour force participation between men and women during the Great Recession in Europe. We first highlight that Europe is characterized by high levels of occupational segregation by gender. As a result, the large job losses in middle-paid occupations during the Great Recession affected male workers disproportionally. In contrast, the fact that higher- and lower-paid occupations were less affected was more favourable to women. Using individual panel data, we investigate how the labour force participation and regional mobility of men and women responded to these shocks. We find that the labour force participation of women increased considerably in the regions most affected by the destruction of men's jobs and with relatively higher labour demand in occupations more likely to employ women. Women with higher levels of education were also more likely to move to regions with higher labour demand in these occupations. We find that not considering the mobility of women with higher education levels can bias the estimates of the impact of labour demand shocks on participation. For men, unemployment increased in response to regional declines in male labour demand. However, regional shocks explain none of the decline in male labour force participation.