Labor Participation Research Articles

Community Based Education Development Patterns in Nurul Iman Islamic Boarding School Jambi Province

This research was conducted with the aim of knowing the pattern of community based education development in the Nurul Iman Islamic boarding school in Jambi. This research is a descriptive study using a qualitative approach with case study research design in the sense that research is focused on just one phenomenon that is chosen and wants to be understood in depth. This research was conducted directly by using field notes and cameras for documentation. Data collection is done by the method of in depth interviews and observations. The results of the research from the Community Based Education Development Pattern in the Nurul Iman Islamic boarding school in Jambi can be divided into two important components, namely: through the first component is the Teaching Pattern with Community Spiritual Education and Community Work Education and the second component is the Islamic Leadership Pattern. Participation Community members in the Nurul Iman Islamic Boarding School and Stakeholders in Educational Development have felt well in the form of thought participation, labor participation, property participation, skills participation or proficiency and social participation.

Partisipasi Tenaga Kerja Pemuda di Sektor Pertanian di Sulawesi Tengah

Structural transformation in Central Sulawesi has led to a decline in the contribution of agricultural sector in the province’s economy. In addition, the phenomenon of increasing aging farmers was one of the problems in improving the agricultural sector performance. This study aimed to examine factors that influence youth labor participation in the agricultural sector in Central Sulawesi. The data used in this research was Sakernas 2018 published by Statistics Indonesia (BPS). The analysis was carried out in three levels, namely individual, household, and contextual levels, using a multilevel binary logistic analysis. Results of this analysis showed that youth labor participation in the agricultural sector was significantly influenced by the several factors: for individual factors were level of education and gender; household socioeconomic factors were education level of household heads, occupations of household heads, and number of household members; and the region contextual factors were population density and Gross Regional Domestic Products (GRDP) per capita. To increase youth labor participation in this province, it is recommended that the local government to implement programs to change youth perceptions of work opportunity in the agricultural sector, create agricultural diversification, improve welfare of agricultural households, strengthen agricultural market strategies. and enhance the skills and capacity of agricultural youth.

A woman’s work is never done: fiscal policy and women’s labour supply in Malawi

The study sought to identify factors that fiscal policy can target to induce beneficial female labour force participation (FLFP) in formal wage, casual (ganyu) and agricultural labour. To achieve this, the study first used the Multinomial Logit Model on Malawi’s Second Integrated Household Survey dataset (IHS2) to predict the occupational distribution and to test for differences in the factors associated with the choice among the three labour outcomes. This helped to identify channels through which gender-responsive fiscal policies can target and enhance FLFP and in turn uplift women’s welfare. The empirical results revealed that when women are poor, residing in rural areas, not married or are heads of households and are least educated, they are more likely to supply casual and/or agricultural labour compared to formal wage labour. Therefore, to enhance women’s welfare through FLFP, gender-sensitive spending programmes should target women with such characteristics. The study further recommended increased gender-sensitive spending on farm credit and inputs, literacy education, girls’ education and public-works programmes. It further encouraged strict adherence to gender budgeting at national and local government level. To finance these proposals the study suggested introducing a levy on alcohol and tobacco the revenue of which should strictly be used to empower girls and enhance women’s labour supply.

Liquidity constraints and family labor participation

This paper sheds light on the relationship between liquidity constraints experienced by the head of the household (HOH) and their family members’ labor supply. The study, focusing on the spillover effects between financial and labor markets, finds that when the HOH is liquidity constrained, unemployed family members join the labor market. While the overall tendency of family members is to choose self-employment versus salaried employment, the results show a heterogeneous impact on different family members. We find the impact of liquidity constraints to be the strongest on the labor market decisions of the spouses and children. Using the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS), the study contributes to the literature by presenting evidence on intra-household risk-sharing from a big emerging market economy where the family ties are tightly knit.

On women participation and empowerment in international trade: Impact on trade margins in the MENA region

This paper investigates the contribution of female labor participation as well female ownership/management to trade margins using firm-level data for 18 manufacturing and services sectors in eight MENA countries for 2013. This topic is innovative, and critical for the MENA region where female participation in the export sector is shy, at a time the region is looking for new sources of competitiveness to boost its exports. Our results show that first, female labor participation has a positive a significant impact on both the probability of export and export volume, with the effect being independent of the size of the firm. Female labor participation matters in traditional sectors where the MENA region has a comparative advantage. Second, while the effect of female ownership or management is not significant on trade margins, female management/ownership exerts a positive effect on the probability of large firms to export. This positive effect is mainly driven by female ownership and not management, and thus sheds light on the potential importance of female empowerment in international trade. Third, the effect of some regulatory barriers on exports is more pronounced for a female-owned/managed firm, with respect to a men-owned/managed firm.

Estimating the Risk of Poverty Transitions at Old Age in the United States: A Survival Analysis Focused on the Hispanic Population

Many Americans work well past the Social Security full retirement age. Moreover, the high labor participation rate of aged workers does not translate into better living conditions and decreased poverty at old age. According to the OECD’s relative poverty threshold, the poverty rate at old age is 23.1% (14 points higher than the absolute measure), showing important increases as age progresses. In the context of financial pressure faced by SS, understanding the factors that could help people ensure themselves against poverty is crucial at old age, especially for groups such as Hispanics. Hispanics tend to rely mostly on SS, and tend to retire earlier than non-Hispanics due to limited working opportunities. Using data drawn from the Health and Retirement Study (2008-2016), cox survival models, were conducted to estimate the risk of transitioning into poverty during retirement on determinants of long-term accumulation of disadvantages over the life course (i.e.: wealth accumulation, medical care access, unemployment history). Results suggest that being foreign born and Hispanic are strongly associated with an increase on the probability of experiencing poverty at old age, conditional on health, education and employment status. Furthermore, delaying claims of SS by one year reduces the probability of falling into poverty by 3%, supporting that socioeconomic conditions faced by older adults, especially, the interactions between such factors and ethnicity are key in explaining poverty at old age. This would help policy makers to implement policies could be targeting those factors earlier on, beneficiating the individuals and society as a whole

The comparative economics of financial access in gender economic inclusion

PurposeThe study has investigated the comparative importance of financial access in promoting gender inclusion in African countries.Design/methodology/approachGender inclusion is proxied by the female labour participation rate while financial channels include: financial system deposits and private domestic credit. The empirical evidence is based on non-contemporary fixed effects regressions.FindingsIn order to provide more implications on comparative relevance, the dataset is categorised into income levels (middle income versus (vs.) low income); legal origins (French civil law vs. English common law); religious domination (Islam vs. Christianity); openness to sea (coastal vs. landlocked); resource-wealth (oil-poor vs. oil-rich) and political stability (stable vs. unstable). Six main hypotheses are tested, notably, that middle income, English common law, Christianity, coastal, oil-rich and stable countries enjoy better levels of “financial access”-induced gender inclusion compared to respectively, low income, French civil law, Islam, landlocked, oil-poor and unstable countries. All six tested hypotheses are validated.Originality/valueThis is the first study on the comparative importance of financial access in gender economic participation.

Is There a Rainbow after the Rain? How Do Agricultural Shocks Affect Non‐Farm Enterprises? Evidence from Thailand

Increasing weather volatility manifesting itself through extreme rainfall and drought poses a significant threat to the livelihood of rural households in poor countries. Although it is documented how rainfall shocks affect agricultural activities, there is not much evidence on the indirect effects on the rest of the rural economy. Merging household panel data with grid‐level precipitation data, we study the indirect effects of rainfall shocks on non‐farm enterprises in rural Thailand. We not only consider the effects on labor supply to non‐farm enterprises but also focus on the performance of non‐farm enterprises. We find that households increase their labor participation in non‐farm self‐employment in response to excessive rainfall shocks. We do not find such a response for deficit rainfall shocks, which we explain by the increased demand for agricultural labor needed to cope with rainfall shortages. We also find suggestive evidence that rainfall shocks lead to increased input costs for non‐farm enterprises in the food processing industry, to higher input costs for farms, to higher sales revenues for agriculture‐related non‐farm enterprises and to lower expenditures for farm households on food and other consumption items. Overall, our analysis suggests that the costs of agricultural shocks are higher than what much of the literature has suggested so far. Despite limited market integration in poor rural economies, the spillovers are sizable and are transmitted through various channels. One implication is that safety nets targeted at farms may need to consider non‐farm enterprises too.

Labour Market Restructuring and the Nature of Employment Relations in Nigeria

The Nigerian labour market has experienced remarkable structural changes in the last two decades following the dictates of globalisation. These changes manifested in the sectoral composition of employment, growth in the service and informal sectors, increased youth unemployment, increased self-employment, and growth in female labour participation. These developments equally affected employment arrangement by shifting attention from the traditional employment arrangement characterised by full-time permanent employment to a more flexible employment arrangement and non-standard jobs. This paper examined the emerging structural changes in the labour market and their consequences for employment relations in Nigeria. The paper adopted desk review methodology which involved analysis of secondary data from relevant research institutions, government agencies and corporate organisations. Evidence from the secondary data revealed that Nigeria has witnessed increased youth unemployment and underemployment, the decline in full-time permanent jobs, rise in casual/contract and part-time work, rise in female labour participation, rise in outsourcing and increase in labour shedding in the last two decades. The observed implications of these developments for employment relations include a decline in union density and bargaining power; a gradual increase in non-union representation; a shift in skill requirement; emphasis on employee loyalty and commitment; emphasis on work-life balance and flexible working hours. The paper, therefore, concludes that structural changes in the Nigerian labour market have affected traditional institutionalised employment relations, which are gradually being replaced by flexible and individualised employment relations.

Gendered exposures: exploring the role of paid and unpaid work throughout life in U.S. women’s cardiovascular health

ABSTRACT The paper explores how paid and unpaid labor history over the life course influence women’s cardiovascular disease. U.S. women comprise about 50% of the paid workforce and perform the majority of unpaid labor. However, the influence of women’s work on their health is under-researched. Our sample was drawn from the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, a cohort of post-menopausal women in the U.S. aged 50–79 at recruitment. Women were categorized into five groups according to paid labor history: worked in paid jobs consistently throughout adult life; left the workforce early; entered the workforce later; discontinuous work history; never worked outside the home. Live birth history (none, at least one, missing) served as a proxy for unpaid labor in prime age. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the hazard ratio of CVD associated with different paid work histories. We then assessed the effect of unpaid labor on the relation between paid labor and CVD. Paid labor participation was not associated with CVD risk among women without unpaid labor after adjusting for age, education, and birth cohort. Among those with unpaid demands, leaving the workforce early or having discontinuous work history was protective. In this U.S. sample, the association between paid work participation history and CVD risk depends on the presence of unpaid labor. Our results demonstrate the necessity of including work – paid and unpaid – in consideration of women’s health.

The Effect of Gender Inequality on Economic Growth in West Africa

Using panel data, this study examined how gender inequality affects economic growth in West Africa. The paper used data from 1997 to 2017 on GDP growth and three gender indicators. Nine countries in West Africa made up the study. The generalized method of moment (GMM) was the estimator used in estimating dependent variable and independent variables of the study. The dependent variable was GDP growth acting as a proxy for economic growth. The independent variables comprised of gender parity of primary school enrollment between female and male, labour participation ratio of female to male and gender inequality index (GII). The result of the study showed that at 1% level of significant, labour participation rate of female to male, gender parity in school enrollment and gender inequality statistically affect economic growth in West Africa. However, the outcome showed that whereas gender inequality adversely affects economic growth, increase in both participation rate of female and gender parity of school enrollment positively influence growth in West African economy. Population growth which was one of the controlled variables also showed a significant effect on economic growth. The study recommends that further studies should be conducted in area of job segregation and labour differences. Keywords : Gender Inequality Index (GII), Labour, femal, male, Economic DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-24-08 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

La equidad de género en el sector de la construcción, una perspectiva desde la ética tomista

Este articulo presenta una línea de reflexión sobre las diferencias de género arraigadas en el sector de la construcción en el país, tomando como referencia datos estadísticos oficiales en cuanto a la participación laboral de la mujer en este sector y otros sectores en general, y es que este fenómeno se presenta en otros países, con lo que adquiere una naturaleza prácticamente que global. La diferencia de género en el trabajo constituye un obstáculo para el desarrollo de las potencialidades de las mujeres y una barrera en el desarrollo mismo de la sociedad, puesto que son marginadas de procesos científicos y formativos, no solo los exclusivamente laborales. En un campo como el de la construcción donde la ética forma parte integral del profesional, la equidad también debería entenderse como componente de esta ética profesional, para sentar las bases de un ejercicio profesional enriquecedor para ambos géneros, es decir, practicar la ética a través de la equidad de género.

PENGARUH PENGELUARAN PEMERINTAH SEKTOR PENDIDIKAN, KESEHATAN DAN TPAK TERHADAP IPM DI INDONESIA

This study aims to determine the effect of government spending of education sector, health and level of labor force participation on human development index in Indonesia. This study used time series data from 2005 to 2019. The method of data analysis uses multiple regression analysis. The results of partially show that government expenditure of education sector has a negative and significant effect on human development index in Indonesia, government spending of health sector has a positif and significant effect on human development index in Indonesia, and the level of labor participation has a positive but insignificant effect on human development index in Indonesia. Simultaneously, government spending of education sector, health, and level of labor participation have a positive and significant effect on the human development index in Indonesia.

The dynamic relationships between the female labour force and the economic growth

PurposeIn this study, the relationship between female labour force participation rate and economic growth is investigated in middle-income countries. The study covers the period of 2001–2016 by employing a dynamic panel approach. Pooled Ordinary Least Square and Fixed Effects model estimations are calculated as a decision criterion to select proper GMM Method. The outcomes indicate that the proper estimation technique, which is a System-GMM model, evidences the U Feminisation Theory for the middle-income countries while controlling all other factors.Design/methodology/approachThe novelty of this study is that the research not only employs both difference and system generalised method of moments (GMM) estimators but also includes main explanatory variables such as education, fertility, and total labour force rate. The study provides an opportunity to review the U-shape nexus between the female labour force and economic growth while controlling education, fertility and total labour participation rate.FindingsThe estimation implies that middle-income countries support a U-shaped relationship. The fertility rate does not impact on the female labour force, and education and total labour force level have a positive influence on women's participation in the labour market.Research limitations/implicationsThis study used data that include the period of 2001–2016 for middle-income countries. So, further studies can use different periods of data or different countries.Practical implicationsThe authors emphasise the importance of economic growth for female labour force for middle-income countries. Thus, a country intending to increase female labour force should also focus on its economic growth. As the study points out, middle-income countries staying under the minimum threshold, $4698.15 (per capita), should priorities their economic improvement policies to reach their female labour force participation goal. Those countries also should be prepared for a female labour force participation declining phase until they reach the turning point income level.Social implicationsFurthermore, education is one of the critical determinants that have an impact on FLFPR. The equal opportunity for both genders to engage in education should be considered as a policy. If females do not have an equal chance to enrolment in education, it may influence the policy of increasing female labour force adversely. Fertility rate appears no more statistically significant in our study. Moreover, today, there are some countries they practise equality between genders by providing equally extended parental leave, which may be a promising policy for gender equality in the labour force and may worth a try.Originality/valueSome previous studies may suffer model mistakes due to lack of consideration the endogeneity problem and bias issue of the results as suggested by Tam (2011). Moreover, previous studies tend to choose either studying U-feminisation as excluding other variables or studying determinants of female labour force participation rate as excluding U-feminisation theory. There is not any panel data study acknowledging both concepts by using recent data to the best knowledge of the authors. Thus, the novelty of this study is that the research not only employs both difference and system generalised method of moments (GMM) estimators but also includes main explanatory variables such as education, fertility, and total labour force rate. The study provides an opportunity to review the U-shape nexus between the female labour force and economic growth while controlling education, fertility and total labour participation rate.

Effects of reconstruction works on private employment after a natural disaster: A case in the stricken area of the Great East Japan Earthquake

Reconstruction after natural disasters involves many publicly funded projects. The high labor demand caused by these projects may lead to shortage of labor in the private sector. Although this result may largely affect ex-post economic growth, few studies address both reconstruction policy and the labor market. Using individual job postings after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, we show that (1) a 1% increase in job postings in the construction industry ― with approximately 75% of orders coming from the public sector ― reduces the probability of vacancy filling in other private industries in the stricken area by approximately 17% compared to unaffected areas; (2) the crowding-out effect of the reconstruction policy positively correlates with the level of damage: the probability of private industry vacancy filling in selected municipalities where the mortality in their tsunami-hit district is more than 2.5% is approximately 14% lower than that in the overall stricken area; (3) as reported by the mass media, the magnitude of the crowding-out effect for the marine industry is more severe, but not by much, than that of other private industries. Considering the mechanism of the “labor market channel of fiscal policy,” this result implies that stricken areas may suffer secular stagnation because firms should reduce their capital to maintain the optimal capital-to-labor ratio. Reconstruction policy must therefore include measures to increase labor participation and enhance private investments.

Blue collar timescapes: work, health, and pension eligibility age for mature age Australian bus drivers

ABSTRACT Assumptions about time, value, labour, and health coalesce in the policy decision to extend the pension eligibility age in Australia from 65 to 67 years. Acknowledging the multiple, often incompatible ways in which time is conceptualised and experienced, we question the expectation of extending Australians’ working lives. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 19 male and female bus drivers over the age of 55 in Australia, we illustrate that older blue collar workers may accumulate chronic health conditions that not only limit their ability to maintain the strict time-discipline required to remain in the workforce, but also introduce demands on their time beyond paid employment (including those required for the management of chronic health conditions). Poor health, and the multiple ways in which it constrains labour participation and time, fosters diverse, unequal, and uneven experiences of the final years of work for these blue collar workers, which may not allow them to meet the policy expectation to work until the age of 67. We argue that by failing to acknowledge the long-term health effects of blue collar work and its work-limiting bodily effects, raising the pension age devalues industrial work histories and manual labour. Finally, acknowledging the social milestone of retirement, we question the moral dimensions of extending the pension eligibility age.

El efecto del consumo de alcohol sobre el trabajo adolescente en México

En México, uno de cada cuatro jóvenes de 12 a 17 años consume alcohol y se encuentra trabajando. El consumo de alcohol está asociado a una mayor probabilidad de trabajar a una edad temprana, y la situación laboral podría fomentar un mayor consumo de éste. Para controlar los sesgos por causalidad inversa y por selectividad, se utilizan como instrumentos la influencia de los pares y las emociones de los adolescentes. Los resultados indican una relación directa y robusta entre el consumo de alcohol y el trabajo de los adolescentes, de entre 2.07 y 2.34 puntos porcentuales.

Exploring trends in the relationship between child labour, gender and educational achievement in Latin America

Participation in child labour, in both household and non-household activities, gender effects and low educational attainment remain challenges for countries in Latin America. Through hierarchical linear modelling of data from the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), this study seeks to explore the current cross-country trends in the relationship between educational attainment, child labour and gender. While non-household labour is found to have an effect, as per statistical significance and the magnitude, on educational achievement across all Latin American countries; participation in household labour is significant in only two countries (Peru and Uruguay). Girls are found to underperform compared to boys by a significant margin across Latin America. The later part of the study seeks to examine the interaction effects of gender and participation in labour activities. Results show that gender has no moderating effect, suggesting that participation in work itself or workspace (household or non-household) does not influence or contribute to gender inequality in education outcomes. The explanatory factors for gender inequality in education outcomes are potentially rooted in a different sphere of influence which needs to be deciphered through deeper empirical investigation.

Female workforce participation and household expenditure for culture and recreation: macroeconomic evidence from the Italian regions

ABSTRACT This study evaluates the effects of labour force participation on the share of private expenditure for cultural and recreational goods and services. We consider a panel of macroeconomic data, coming from the 20 Italian regions observed over the period 1995–2015. We document that female participation rate positively and significantly affects the share of household consumption devoted to culture and entertainment. The effect of male labour participation rate appears to be less clear-cut. We propose some theoretical and empirical considerations, to investigate the bases and the policy implications of such gender asymmetry.

Construction of women’s autonomy towards choosing the mode of delivery

Introduction: Choice of mode of childbirth by women has been addressed for some decades. In Brazil, cesarean delivery rates reached 55% in 2018 and, according to doctors, this is mainly due to women ́s request. Understanding how women perceive autonomy in choosing the mode of childbirth is, though, important. Bioethics allows us to reflect broadly on the issue. Objectives: There are many ways to view the autonomy, thus, this paperwork goal is to understand how women who had recently given birth viewed their empowerment over choosing their mode of delivery and also draw a possible path of autonomy construction or the lack of it that may contribute to giving women more empowerment over choosing their mode of delivery. Methodology: A questionnaire was applied to ten women who gave birth for the first time within 12 and 48 hours after labor in a specific hospital between July of 2019 and November of 2019. Then, the interviews were analyzed using Bardin’s content analysis method. Results: Financial expenditures and work: within the 10 interviewed women, 7 referred to work and/or split their home expenses which was a way to see whether they had financial autonomy or not. The women’s empowerment also reflects their reproductive planning and their anti-pregnancy chosen methods. Contraception: it was observed that some of our interviewees did not participate on the contraception choices, despite the existing concern on educative practice, because they were reduced to an informative moment showing off that the health professional is the knowledge owner and the woman does not actively participate of the contraception and pregnancy planning. But the questionnaire was not effectively implemented to assess further information on this issue. Preliminary information and Healthcare professionals: childbirth preliminary information is essential to women’s full autonomy on the pregnancy. However, in the current assistance system it is seen an asymmetric relationship between the physician and the pregnant woman by not prioritizing the women’s knowledge over their bodies and reproduction processes which were observed in most of the interviews. Decision and mode of delivery choosing participation: only one of the interviewed women referred that she did not participate in the mode of delivery choice. However, despite choosing their mode of delivery, 6 interviewed women had shown that they had no autonomy on other areas of life that the questionnaire came up - financial expenditures and work, contraception, information about labor and decision and participation on choosing the mode of delivery. Discussion: The obtained data allowed us to imply that there are flaws in the women’s autonomy construction mainly about the mode of delivery which affects directly on choosing it, even though sometimes the woman believes she has chosen, but she didn’t know her options and by not knowing it she did not have a complete autonomy over her choices, indicating that there’s a long path in order to women to conquer the right of choosing the mode of delivery of their children. Conclusion: Women’s autonomy construction is affected by many factors. Health professional information is essential to this process, and the lack of it may directly affect the choice of the mode of delivery by women.