Male Participation Rates Research Articles

Education, Employment and Gender Gap in Mena Region

Education is central to human capital capacity‐building, and major determinant of economic development, as it has long been considered as an important investment both for social and economic development. The Middle East and North African countries have been aware of the importance of education therefore considered it as a key part of their strategies and future planning; enrollments at different levels of education have improved dramatically over the past few decades. This study is an empirical investigation to the impact of different level of education attainment on employment level, labor force participation rate and gender gap of employment. For that purpose the cross section time series or panel data set consisting of 15 countries ? where the data is comparable -has been taken. Panel data regression analysis has been carried out to find out the magnitude and direction of relationship between dependent and independent variables. Further Hausman test of specification has been applied for the selection between fixed effect model and random effect model. The main finding of this study, that there is negative relationship between educational attainment and male labor participation rate, while it is positive in case of females labor force. The study found also that with the improvement of educational attainment there has been a decrease employment gender gap.

Regional labour force participation across the European Union: a time–space recursive modelling approach with endogenous regressors

ABSTRACTRegional labour force participation across the European Union: a time–space recursive modelling approach with endogenous regressors. Spatial Economic Analysis. Although there is an abundant regional labour market literature taking a spatial perspective, only a few studies have explored extending the analysis of labour force participation with spatial effects. This paper revisits this important issue, proposing a time–space recursive modelling approach that builds on and appraises Fogli and Veldkamp’s methodology from 2011 and finding for the United States that participation rates vary with past values in nearby regions. Major shortcomings in their study are corrected for, including stationarity and the control for endogenous regressors other than the time and space–time-lagged dependent variable using system generalized method of moments (GMM). The paper also highlights interaction effects among explanatory variables for the first time in this context. Using a panel of 108 regions across the European Union over 1986–2010, the results for total, male and female participation rates throw a new light on the socio-economic relevance of different determinants. Importantly, characteristics in neighbouring regions play a significant role, and neglecting endogeneity is found to have serious consequences, underlining increased attention on the specification and estimation of spatial econometric models with endogenous regressors.

Engaging Men in Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Programs: A Scoping Review.

Chronic disease has become one of the largest health burdens facing the developed world. Men are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with chronic disease than women. Although lifestyle interventions have been shown to reduce the risk of chronic disease in participants, men are often underrepresented in such programs. The purpose of this study was to explore the individual-level and program-specific factors that affect male participation rates in chronic disease prevention and management (CDPM) programs. A scoping review methodology was selected, and 25 studies met the criteria for inclusion in the review. Results showed that traditional group-based programs that focused on topics such as nutrition and physical activity were often seen by men as inherently feminine, which served as a barrier for participation. Program-specific factors that attracted men to participate in interventions included a group component with like-minded men, the use of humor in the delivery of health information, the inclusion of both nutrition and physical activity components, and the presence of some manner of competition. A past negative health event, personal concern for health status, and motivation to improve physical appearance were cited by men as facilitators to CDPM program participation. Gaps in the research are identified, and results of this study can be used to inform the development of CDPM programs that will improve the engagement and participation of men.

Hypertension and diabetes in Africa: design and implementation of a large population-based study of burden and risk factors in rural and urban Malawi.

BackgroundThe emerging burden of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in sub-Saharan Africa threatens the gains made in health by the major international effort to combat infectious diseases. There are few data on distribution of risk factors and outcomes in the region to inform an effective public health response. A comprehensive research programme is being developed aimed at accurately documenting the burden and drivers of NCDs in urban and rural Malawi; to design and test intervention strategies. The programme includes population surveys of all people aged 18 years and above, linking individuals with newly diagnosed hypertension and diabetes to healthcare and supporting clinical services. The successes, challenges and lessons learnt from the programme to date are discussed.ResultsOver 20,000 adults have been recruited in rural Karonga and urban Lilongwe. The urban population is significantly younger and wealthier than the rural population. Employed urban individuals, particularly males, give particular recruitment challenges; male participation rates were 80.3 % in the rural population and 43.6 % in urban, whilst female rates were 93.6 and 75.6 %, respectively. The study is generating high quality data on hypertension, diabetes, lipid abnormalities and risk factors.ConclusionsIt is feasible to develop large scale studies that can reliably inform the public health approach to diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other NCDs in Sub-Saharan Africa. It is essential for studies to capture both rural and urban populations to address disparities in risk factors, including age structure. Innovative approaches are needed to address the specific challenge of recruiting employed urban males.

Sex differences in chess performance: Analyzing participation rates, age, and practice in chess tournaments

This study analyzed sex differences in chess Elo ratings with chess tournament data. We evaluated whether sex differences were due to differential participation rates of males and females, and whether age and practice were able to predict differences in chess ability. There were meaningful sex differences in Elo ratings unrelated to different participation rates. Age and practice predicted sex differences in Elo chess ratings for females, but not for males. The findings paralleled those concerning sex differences in cognitive ability research, and supported that biosocial factors (i.e., age and practice) rather than divergences in participation rates of males and females in the domain influenced the extreme sex differences in Elo ratings.

Underemployment in Latin America

Economics literature has paid relatively little attention to the study of underemployment, which is defined as the situation of an individual who works less than 35 hours a week, but wants to work more hours. This can be explained by the scarcity of data on underemployment, and by the fact that labor statistics treat it as employment, and thus its numbers may not create so much expectation as those of unemployment. The study of underemployment is important in view of its relation to poverty, especially as it affects women, and because of the psychological damages that result to underemployed individuals, particularly young people. This paper analyzes the behavior of underemployment in a sample of five Latin American countries by means of the estimation of an unrestricted vector auto-regressive (VAR) model using 2000-2008 panel data from five Latin American countries. The variables included in the VAR are: the unemployment and underemployment rates, female and male participation rates, and the indexes of formal employment and the real wage. Impulse response functions are analyzed to make inferences about the behavior of the variables in response to shocks to one of them. In addition, the paper develops models to represent the existence of participation and poverty traps, which, respectively, result from the interaction between unemployment, economic growth, inequality and participation and from the interplay between underemployment, poverty and children’s school desertion. The main results show that there exists an inverse relationship between formal employment and underemployment; that underemployment and female participation have persistent responses to shocks to unemployment; female and male participation decrease in response to a shock to the real wage; and underemployment and unemployment have persistent response to shocks to female participation. In general terms, the results show different responses along gender lines. Another result was that underemployment is the initial means of adjustment to recessionary periods and as such it is an early warning indicator of rising unemployment. The results show the prevalence of the discouraged and additional worker phenomena in the sample countries. The results have shown that underemployment can lead to persistent poverty and that it acts as a break on economic growth, which indicate the necessity of eliminating labor market segmentation by gender and directing attention to the particular needs of women (as well as those of young people, the elderly, the disabled, and ethnic minorities) with respect to their labor market participation.

Discouraged vs. added workers: Variation by gender, age, and marital status

This paper analyzes the relationship between aggregate unemployment and the labor force participation of males and females of differing ages and marital circumstances. According to the discouraged-worker effect, a higher unemployment rate causes some workers to leave the labor force leading to a reduction in both the labor-force participation rate and the unemployment rate. To shed light on this statistical incongruity, a unique data set consisting of monthly observations from the Current Population Survey is used to extract the labor force participation rates of males and females of three different age categories and three different marital classifications. Impulse functions from vector error-correction models indicate that discouraged workers are more likely though not exclusively to consist of married males and females between 50 and 65 years of age. No statistically significant evidence of a net added-worker effect is found among married females or males in any age group.

Labor-Market Polarization over the Business Cycle

Job losses during the Great Recession were concentrated among middle-skill workers, the same group that over the long run has suffered the most from automation and international trade. How might long-run occupational polarization be related to cyclical changes in middle-skill employment? We find that middle-skill occupations have traditionally been more cyclical than other occupations, in part because of the volatile industries that tend to employ middle-skill workers. Unemployed middle-skill workers also appear to have few attractive or feasible employment alternatives outside of their skill class, and the drop in male participation rates during the past several decades can be explained in part by an erosion of middle-skill job opportunities. Taken together, these results imply that a formal labor market model relating polarization to middle-skill employment fluctuations should include industry-level employment effects and a labor force participation margin as well as pure job-search considerations. The results thus provide encouragement for a growing literature that integrates macro-labor search models with macro-macro models featuring differential industry cyclicalities and convex preferences over consumption and leisure.

Abstracts

Abstracts

National estimates of male and female enrolment in American high school choirs, bands and orchestras

The purpose of this study was to estimate, at a national level and over time, the participation rates of males and females among those students who formally enrol in American high school music ensembles. Ten cohorts of nationally representative samples of students from 1982 and 2009 were analysed using data from High School Transcript Studies conducted by the National Centre for Education Statistics. Results of the present study indicated that, for the time period studied, females were significantly overrepresented in all three traditional US high school music ensemble areas: choir, band and orchestra. As might be expected, choral music enrolment was the most consistently imbalanced by gender across the cohorts, with roughly 70% female and 30% male enrolment in each of the cohorts under study. The results of this study suggest that the US music education emphasis on ensemble music making promotes gender sorting of females into music at the high school level. This finding raises questions about the dominance of males among the ranks of working instrumental music educators and the efficacy of the profession's attempts to recruit more males into choral singing.

Vocational Trainings as a Tool for more Sustainable Employment in Republic of Kosovo: Gender Issues in Employment

As Kosovo is moving to the market economy, the matching of its human capital should lead to the more skill-based labour participants when they enter the labour market, in order to match with the market needs. This paper aims to show the main factors of the labour market of Kosovo regarding gender, and the possibilities of improving the level of unemployment through vocational training. Republic of Kosovo has marked employment imbalance regarding gender, with the very low participation rates of women in the labour force, this was evident shown in the first years of transition Labour force participation and the level of employment has been low, and unemployment high. In 2002, labour force participation rate in Kosovo was 41.3 %, with male participation rate at 56 % and women participation rate at only 27 %. From the data of the recent Labour Force Survey (2012) after ten years we find that the level of activity rate of women of working age is even lower, only one-in-five (17.8% ) women of working age are active in the labour market. There are also large gender differences throughout the labour market. Among those in the labour force, unemployment is much higher for women than it is for men (40.0% compared to 28.1% ). Methodology used in this paper is based on the comparative analysis and interpretation of the available data from the Labour force Surveys conducted in Kosovo and also reports from World Bank and other governmental organizations (UNICEF, MLSW, ILO etc) during the last 10 years of transition. Women in Republic of Kosovo that are employed similarly to the ones in other transition countries are concentrated in education and caring activities. The disadvantages of the past and the persisting gender inequalities, call for policy implications of gender mainstreaming throughout the policy making and implementing of those policies that were adopted. A job creation policy targeting women may increase possibilities of the productive work and the possibility of creating jobs. It is also important to address not only gender inequalities in the labour market, but also related issues to education, with increasing level of unskilled jobseekers. Since this targeted group has the highest level of unemployment, vocational trainings in developing skills for employment in small and medium enterprises and family businesses are very important in new employment opportunities. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n2p359

Gender, Academics, and Interscholastic Sports Participation at the School Level: A Gender-specific Analysis of the Relationship between Interscholastic Sports Participation and AP Enrollment

While literature demonstrates that interscholastic sports participation is associated with positive academic outcomes, this relationship is rarely analyzed at a macro level (the school level). To date, there is no research examining whether increases in schools’ female and male interscholastic sports participation rates are associated with increases in female and male advanced placement (AP) enrollment rates. Using a national sample of 4,644 public high schools during the 2009–2010 school year, the authors test several gender-specific hypotheses linked with the association between schools’ sport participation rates and AP enrollment rates (AP math, AP science, AP foreign language, and overall AP enrollment). The findings reveal that schools’ female and male sports participation rates have a positive association with schools’ female and male AP math, AP science, AP foreign language, and overall AP enrollment rates. Moreover, the findings suggest that females benefit more than males in regard to the positive relationship between interscholastic sports and AP enrollment.

Sex‐specific participation in inter‐group conflicts within a multilevel society: the first evidence at the individual level

Inter-group conflicts are common among many group-living animals and involve potentially complex motivations and interactions. Mammals living in multilevel societies offer a good opportunity to study inter-group conflicts. This study is the first to explore the function of sex-specific participation during inter-group conflicts within a multilevel society at the individual level. The Sichuan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) is an endangered seasonal breeding species living in a multilevel society. From Sep 2007 to May 2008 we recorded 290 inter-group conflicts of a free-ranging provisioned band of R. roxellana in the Qinling Mountains of China to investigate the function of individual aggression during inter-group encounters. Our findings show that adult males were the main participants in inter-group conflicts, while females took part in them only occasionally. The male participation rate during the mating season, when adult females were estrous, was significantly higher than that during the non-mating season. Furthermore, males directed their aggression to other males, and directed more intense aggression towards bachelor males than towards other resident males. For both sexes, the participation rate as initiators was higher in the winter than that in the spring; and there was a significant positive correlation between group size and the participation rate as initiators. Our results suggest that inter-group aggression in Sichuan snub-nosed monkeys is linked to both mate defense and resource defense.

Recent Developments in Selected Education Indicators and their Relation to Europe 2020 Targets

This study looks at the recent development (1998–2009) in the number of years of schooling that a 6-year old can expect to attend until their 30th birthday for the EU-27 countries. All countries have seen an increase in the number of expected years of schooling, which is driven mainly by increased tertiary enrolment rates. At the same time the education gap vis-à-vis the US has been closed. The dispersion of expected length of education among EU countries has also decreased. Thus, by this measure, education among countries has become more equal. In spite of this progress, some countries will find it difficult to meet their national targets for tertiary educational attainments for 30–34 year-olds in 2020. This is largely because the tertiary education participation rates of young males have been falling behind those of females in many countries. Focussing on the tertiary educational attainments of 30–34 year-olds leaves governments with little time to pursue policies with substantial impact. It would be preferable to supplement the educational attainment target for 30–34 year-olds with an enrolment target for 20–24 year-olds.

THE TREND IN RETIREMENT*

A model with leisure production and endogenous retirement is used to explain declining labor force participation rates of elderly males. The model is calibrated to cross‐sectional data on labor force participation rates of U.S. males by age, their drop in consumption, and leisure good expenditure share in 2000. Running the calibrated model for the period 1850–2000, a prediction of the evolution of the cross‐section is obtained. The model accounts for more than 87% of the increase in retirement of men over 65. The increase in retirement is driven by rising wages and falling prices of leisure goods.

Partner involvement in perinatal care and PMTCT services in Mbeya Region, Tanzania: the providers' perspective

Partner involvement is considered to increase the effectiveness of female-oriented services for sexual and reproductive health (SRH), like those for antenatal care (ANC) or the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT). However, male participation rates remain mostly low, and previous research has identified restrictive provider attitudes among barriers for partner participation in such services. Individual perspectives and experiences of healthcare providers are assumed to significantly influence the quality of delivered services. This study aimed at exploring providers' attitudes regarding partner involvement in ANC/PMTCT and other SRH services. A hundred interviews based on a semi-structured questionnaire were conducted among healthcare providers employed in an ANC-based PMTCT program in Mbeya Region, Tanzania. Interviewees expressed overall approval of male partner integration into the services, but this approval decreased when specifying for different service types, especially in those related to perinatal examinations or labor and delivery. Divergence between general attitudes and self-reported individual behavior was observed, querying the reliability of expressed attitudes. Among providers having at least one child, personally experienced partner attendance and approval of partner involvement were significantly associated for most service types. Although general views on partner involvement in SRH services seem to be mostly supportive, there is a need for health services to strengthen providers' positions toward male involvement, for example by communicating clear policies and job guidelines, and by encouraging partner service attendance among providers themselves.

Does the Life Course Savings Scheme Have the Potential to Improve Work–Life Balance?

AbstractTo improve individuals' work–life balance, trade unions, employers' organizations, governments and the European Commission currently promote a life course perspective in activating labour market policies. In 2006, the Life Course Savings Scheme (Levensloopregeling) was introduced in the Netherlands, which aims to increase labour participation and to improve the work–life balance over the life course. What can we learn from the Dutch case? In 2006, actual participation in the scheme was with 6% much lower than expected. Participation rates were higher among males, full timers, older employees, the higher‐income groups and persons with a partner. However, our multivariate analyses of data for over 500,000 civil servants show that the higher participation rates of males, full timers and older employees are related to the higher earnings of these groups, and that after control for earnings, participation is higher among females, part timers and the young. This indicates that the scheme has a potential to contribute to the work–life balance over the life‐cycle.

Participation in Canadian Universities: The gender imbalance (1977–2005)

Females are more likely to attend Canadian universities and their participation rate has been increasing faster than that of males, generating a 15 percentage point gap by 2005. We investigate the determinants of attending university and explore the reasons for the increasing gender gap. As in the US literature, we find that conventional decompositions, averaging over the whole sample, attribute most of the gender gap to differences in variables, notably the University Premium. The average sample approach in these decompositions abstracts from the evolution over time of the participation rates by gender and from important detail at specific points in time, features that we try to overcome. We find that the rising level of the university participation rate for both women and men can be explained by changing societal norms, the dynamic influence of parental education, the University Premium, tuition fees and real income. The 2005 gap between the female and male participation rates can be accounted mostly (9 percentage points) by the gender differences in the University Premium and, to a lesser extent (6 percentage points), by differences in the coefficients in the female and male participation equations.

Poverty, Sex and HIV

There is an ongoing debate about the relative importance of economic factors (notably poverty) and sexual behavior in driving the AIDS epidemic. This paper draws on relevant research and cross-country regression analysis to argue that the impact of economic determinants is dwarfed by contextual factors within Africa. The regression analysis suggests that controlling for per capita income, calories per capita and the ratio of female to male participation rates (none of which were statistically significant): being a Southern African country increases expected HIV prevalence 8.3 times; being in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa 3 times; being a predominantly Protestant country 2.5 times; and being a predominantly Muslim country reduces expected HIV prevalence to 62% of the base case. Including the share of income going to the poor did not improve the model and was itself statistically insignificant. The analysis suggests that poverty may play a role in the HIV epidemic in some countries (and may well be a factor affecting the vulnerability of some people to HIV infection in all countries) but that its overall impact is dwarfed by social and behavioral factors.

Male and Female Labour Force Participation: The Role of Dynamic Adjustments to Changes in Labour Demand, Government Policies and Autonomous Trends

This study investigates the extent and speed of dynamic adjustment of labour supply to changes in labour demand, government policies and autonomous trends. We estimate error-correction models (ECMs) for male and female participation rates in the Netherlands between 1969 and 2004. The results show significant short and long-run effects of labour demand as well as a negative autonomous trend for male participation. In contrast, we find no significant long-run labour-demand effects and a very strong positive autonomous trend for female participation. Including female and male participation as additional explanatory variables in the male and female ECMs, respectively, reveals significant substitution effects between female and male participation. For male participation the substitution effects from female participation account for the negative trend in the basic ECM, while for female participation the substitution effects from male participation counterbalance labour demand effects that are now significant. In addition, we find very significant breakpoints in male and female participation at 1994, which indicate the effects of exogenous participation-promoting policies by the Dutch governments after 1994. The adjustments of the participation rates to changes in labour demand, government policies and autonomous trends are moderately fast.