Female labour force participation: evidence from Ghana

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1489-1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abena Yeboah Abraham ◽  
Fidelia Nana Akom Ohemeng ◽  
Williams Ohemeng
Keyword(s):  
Informal Sector ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Formal Sector ◽  
Social Reforms ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine female labour force participation (FLFP) and their employment choice between the formal and informal sectors after several institutional and social reforms such as Millennium Development Goal 3 aimed at promoting gender equality and empowerment of women by 2015, using data from Ghana’s 2010 Population and Housing Census. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, logit regression and multinomial logit techniques were employed. Findings The results show that FLFP has declined marginally from the 2005 figures; education remains the important factor in determining women’s participation in the formal sector. Strikingly 91 per cent of the FLFP is engaged in the informal sector of the Ghanaian economy, a sector with a very low contribution per head. Practical implications Interventions such as encouraging female education and retraining of self-employed females to improve upon their efficiency ought to be pursued vigorously; whiles developing rural areas for females to get equal labour opportunities and many others aimed at enhancing the efficiency and by inference earning per head of the informal sector is highly recommended. Originality/value The literature on the FLFP is thin in Ghana. The current study uses a census data unlike the previous studies and as such employed a huge sample size that reflects the reality in Ghana. The study contributed immensely to policy having established that 91 per cent of the female labour force is engaged in the informal sectors of the economy, and therefore any intervention targeting at reducing poverty and meeting the MDG 3 should be targeted at the informal sector of the Ghanaian economy.

scholarly journals Informalisation of Women's Work: Consequence for Fertility and Child Schooling in Urban Pakistan

1993 ◽  
Vol 32 (4II) ◽  
pp. 887-893 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahnaz Kazi ◽  
Zeba A. Sathar
Keyword(s):  
Informal Sector ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
High Status ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Piece Rate

Female employment is considered an important means of lowering fertility through ways such as raising the age at marriage, through influencing desired family size and also through better knowledge and use of contraceptives. Increasing female labour force participation is frequently recommended as a critical policy measure for reducing the birth rate. However the significant inverse relationship between employment and fertility found for developed countries is weak or absent in the case of developing countries [Rodriguez and Cleland (1980)]. More recent evidence indicates that it is not so much employment per se but type of employment which is a critical determinant of reproductive behaviour [United Nations (1985)]. It has been shown that while high status professional jobs are associated with greater influence on women's domestic autonomy and fertility, low paying jobs lead to an increasing burden of work with entirely different implications for fertility and other household related behaviour. In the context of Pakistan, despite two decades of industrial growth and development, official data sources show stagnant and low levels of female labour force participation rates (LFPR) in urban Pakistan. The LFPR for urban women ranged between 3 and 5 percent for the period between 1971 and 1988. Data collection methods of government agencies are known to greatly underestimate female labour force participation (FLFP) particularly in rural areas and in the urban informal sector where the distinction between productive and domestic activities tends to be ambivalent. Evidence from micro surveys indicates, on the contrary, an increasing influx of women in the urban labour market, particularly in the informal sector [Sathar and Kazi (1988); Shaheed and Mumtaz (1981); Bilquees and Hamid (1989)]. A large number are shown to be working in home-based piece-rate employment while domestic service mainly as sweepers, washerwomen, maids, etc.................................

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.

scholarly journals Female labour force participation and economic development

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (7) ◽  
pp. 896-912 ◽  
Author(s):  
Misbah Tanveer Choudhry ◽  
Paul Elhorst
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Demographic Transition ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical model, which is aggregated across individuals to analyse the labour force participation rate, and empirical results to provide evidence of a U-shaped relationship between women’s labour force participation and economic development. Design/methodology/approach The U-shaped relationship is investigated by employing a panel data approach of 40 countries around the world over the period 1960–2005. It is investigated whether the labour force behaviour of women in different age groups can be lumped together by considering ten different age groups. Findings The paper finds evidence in favour of the U-shaped relationship. For every age group and explanatory variable in the model, a particular point is found where the regime of falling participation rates changes into a regime of rising participation rates. Research limitations/implications To evaluate this relationship, microeconomic analysis with primary data can also provide significant insights. Social implications Every country can narrow the gap between the labour participation rates of men and women in the long term. Fertility decline, shifts of employment to services, part-time work, increased opportunities in education, and the capital-to-labour ratio as a measure for economic development are the key determinants. Originality/value In addition to the U-shaped relationship, considerable research has been carried out on demographic transition. This paper brings these two strands of literature together, by econometrically investigating the impact of demographic transition on female labour force participation given its U-shaped relation with economic development, i.e., turning points for different explanatory variables are calculated and their implications for economic growth are discussed.

Does female labour force participation contribute to better financial inclusion? Evidence from cross-country analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Senthil Arasu Balasubramanian ◽  
Thenmozhi Kuppusamy
Keyword(s):  
Financial Services ◽  
Credit Card ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Financial Inclusion ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Cross Country ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyse the impact of female labour force participation (FLFP) in the access and usage of formal financial services by women.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses cross-country data from 107 countries. The study uses multivariate regression (OLS) to explain the impact of FLFP on the financial inclusion variables. The study also accounted for different groups of country-level control variables. Instrumental variables regression is also used in the study to consider for endogeneity issues.FindingsThe results show that FLFP has significant influence on all of the financial inclusion variables used in the study. The role of financial literacy is prominent in determining women's access to sophisticated financial services such as debit card and credit card. Improving financial infrastructure of an economy facilitates greater access to formal account by womenPractical implicationsFrom policymakers’ perspective, women should be motivated to enter labour market for better financial inclusion.Social implicationsMore opportunities for women to enter formal employment encourages female participation in labour market and benefits women and the economy.Originality/valueThis paper is the first of its kind to study the influence of FLFP on indicators of financial inclusion of women. The study extended the scope of access to financial services by considering access to bank account, debit card and credit card. The study also analysed use of financial services through digital platforms by women.

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 Interdistrict and Interprovincial Differentials in Correlates of Female Labour Force Participation, 1961

1976 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 424-445
Author(s):  
Nasra M. Shah ◽  
Nasreen Abbasi ◽  
Iqbal Alam
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Census Data ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Work Participation ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Using Data

This paper is an attempt at analysing female labour force participation and its various socio-economic and demographic correlates in Pakistan. Data for the four provinces have been analysed separately in order to get an idea of the diversity between regions and to identify characteristics that influence female work participation in different parts of the country. The area relating to the size and structure of female labour force has received considerable attention in recent years in Pakistan. A preliminary attempt, using 1961 Census data, was made by Bhatti and Alam [1] at iden¬tifying the significant correlates of female work in Pakistan. Yusuf [20] analysed correlttes of male participation in labour force by using data from the 1961 Census. Constraints and cultural definitions relating to types of female work were discussed by Papanek [15], Pastner [14] and Shah [18]. Saeed [17] analysed the factors important in female participation in farm operations, and differentiated between work participation by women belonging to various castes in four villages in Lyallpur. A case study of women's attitudes, environment and activities has recently been made by Khan and Bilquees [4] for a Punjabi Village. Shah [19] analysed from survey data the demographic and socio¬economic influences on female labour force participation in the rural and urban areas of Pakistan.

scholarly journals Poverty, Female Labour Force Participation, and Cottage Industry: A Case Study of Cloth Embroidery in Rural Multan

2001 ◽  
Vol 40 (4II) ◽  
pp. 1105-1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toseef Azid ◽  
Muhammad Aslam ◽  
Muhammad Omer Chaudhary
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Female Workers ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Cottage Industries ◽  
Sophisticated Technology

It is a well-known fact that cottage industries can play a significant role in the development of an economy like Pakistan. As it is observed that this industry is not required too much financing, imported and highly sophisticated technology. So the problems like deficit in public finance and balance of payments is not related with the growth and development of these industries. Simultaneously, high degree of female labour force participation in this sector has also been proved in the number of studies. Which seems to be helpful in the process of reduction of poverty especially in the rural areas. The Southern Punjab especially its rural areas are comparatively less prosperous than the other parts of Punjab. A number of female workers can be seen in the rural areas of Southern Punjab. The concentration of these workers is in few traditional areas and is characterised by the low technology and low production levels. These areas are typically those, which require skills that are basically the extension of household skills or which reflect a specific educational and employment experience of women. It has also been observed that women’s income of the rural areas of Southern Punjab are more likely than their male partners to go towards meeting their family’s basic needs. These women spent most of their business income on the households, food, clothing and education of their children rather than reinvesting it in their business.

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