How does trade openness affect female labours?

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 375-390
Author(s):  
Jing-Ping Li ◽  
Zheng-Zheng Li ◽  
Ran Tao ◽  
Chi Wei Su
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
Trade Openness ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Threshold Value ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Labour Force Participation Rate ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the non-linear threshold effects between trade openness and female labours to participate in the labour markets. Design/methodology/approach The authors consider data for nine Asian countries from 1990 to 2016 period and perform the panel threshold regression method. Findings Empirical results indicate that the threshold value is occurred. With the increase of trade openess, the female labour force participation rate shows a trend of rising first and then declining. Furthermore, exports also have an asymmetric threshold effect on female labour force participation, which is partly in accordance with the discrimination model (Becker, 1957). On the other hand, imports dependency will hinder female labour force participation regardless of a threshold effect. The authors obtain similar results when the authors consider the female employment rate as substitution. Practical implications Specifically, increased trade openness may contribute positively or negatively towards overall female labour force participation rate (FLFPR), attributed to the relative importance of these opposing effects. Thus, when the cost reduction effect, resulting from intensified competitive pressure and comparative advantages would enhance the participation rate, the technology channel operates in the opposite direction. Therefore, from the perspective of female employment, trade openness is not the more the better. Originality/value This study innovatively discusses the non-linear correlation between trade openness and FLFPR and distinguishes the different contributions from exports and imports. The advanced threshold regression model assumes the existence of threshold value from trade to female employment. Thereby, targeted policies for the government should be applied to promote active female in the labour market.

scholarly journals Fertility and socio-economic determinants: evidence from co-integration and multivariate Granger casualty tests

2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 134
Author(s):  
Prakash Kengnal ◽  
Asha Bullappa
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
National Income ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Fertility Rate ◽  
Gross National Income ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Labour Force Participation Rate ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Per Capita

Background: The empirical work on fertility determinants widely discusses the role of socio-economic factors like female labour force participation rate, urban population and per capita gross national income in determining fertility rates. The India’s high fertility rate began to decline gradually after late 1950s and continued to fall since then. India achieved almost 31 per cent decline in fertility rate from 1990 to 2012. The objective was to examine the relationship between fertility rate, urbanization, female labour force participation rate and per capita gross national income for India.Methods: This study covers the sample period from 1990-2012. Moreover, the direction of causality between fertility rate, urbanization, female labour force participation rate and per capita gross national income in India using Granger Causality test within the Vector Error-Correction Model (VECM) are examined.Results: As a summary of the empirical results, we found that fertility rate, urbanization, female labour force participation rate and per capita gross national income in India are co-integrated and there is unidirectional Granger Causality between the four variables in long and short-run.Conclusions: The growth in urban population, female labour force participation rate and per capita gross national income are responsible for the decrease in fertility rate in India.

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

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Durmuş Çağrı Yıldırım ◽  
Hilal Akinci
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Total Labour

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.

scholarly journals Association of household income and female labour force participation rate in income generating activities in hill rural areas of Uttarakhand

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prashant Kandari ◽  
Uma Bahuguna
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Participation Rate ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
The State ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Labour Force Participation Rate ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Income Generating Activities

As per 2011 Census, about 70 per cent of population in Uttarakhand state resides in rural areas and the ten hill districts out of total 13 districts of the State comprises 48.1 per cent of its entire population. Difficult terrain, lack of transport, lack of employment due to non availability of industrial sector along with small farm sizes and low farm incomes has fuelled large migration from these hill rural areas of the Uttarakhand to the urban regions across the country. The various studies reflect upon the importance of women in the economy of the hill areas as they share the burden of their families and their participation in employment and subsistence cum income generating activities mainly in the rural regions is much higher than the males. The importance of women further enhances amidst the severe problem of migration of males and mainly of the youths from these regions to the urban areas. The women are left back to work in most tough conditions further taking care of the domestic chores. The females labour force participation is higher in rural areas of the state, as per National Sample Survey Office, 68th Round, the female labour force participation rate in rural areas was 31.5 percent and 10.8 percent in urban areas of the state. In this context it is very important to understand the nature of female labour force participation i.e. , whether it is in non-income generating sector like agriculture or in purely income generating sector which mainly comprises of both i.e., agriculture and non-agriculture sector. The present study analyses this distribution of female labour force participation and depicts the association between the female labour force participation in income generating activities and the total household income.

Can globalisation promote female labour force participation?

2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 303-322
Author(s):  
Harpal Sangha ◽  
Robert Riegler
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Labour Force Participation Rate ◽  
Economic Dimension ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Economic Globalisation

Purpose This study aims to analyse whether globalisation, i.e. informational and economic globalisation, promoted or impeded female labour force participation (FLFP) in South Asia. Design/methodology/approach The KOF Globalisation Index is used alongside a fixed effect panel data Discroll–Kraay estimator to control for unobserved factors and achieve robust standard errors. The sample covers all South Asian countries for the period 1999–2015. Findings Globalisation does not advocate the “feminisation of employment”; in fact, the impact is negative. This is driven by the economic dimension of globalisation, particularly for younger women. However, this impact is mitigated by informational globalisation that affects FLFP positively, especially for women aged 35 years and older. Practical implications Without support of the right governmental policies, there is a danger of globalisation creating new obstacles for women to enter the labour market. Originality/value This paper adds to the existing literature by using the more comprehensive KOF globalisation measure to identify the overall effect of globalisation on FLFP in South Asia, being the first study to analyse the impact of informational alongside economic globalisation, and investigating whether globalisation affects the labour force participation rate of various female age cohorts differently.

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