scholarly journals How trade diversification and economic growth affect gender inequality in female labour market participation? The case of India

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudeshna Ghosh
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Gender Inequality ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type

PurposeThe author attempts to investigate through empirical exercise how the chances of female employment opportunities rise in a developing country like India, against the backdrop of changes in institutions that are associated with globalization. Following Dreher et al. (2012), the author measures how institutional arrangements proxied by political, cultural and social globalization impact women's labour force participation.Design/methodology/approachThe relation between female labour force participation, economic growth and further export diversification are quite complex. The paper develops a simultaneous equation model through a growth equation, gender equation and globalization equation to identify the factors impacting female labour market opportunities in India, based on annual time series data 1991–2019.FindingsThe major results of this study are summarized as: (1) it is social globalization that positively impacts gender equality in employment opportunities apart from economic growth and trade diversification. (2) Evidence of “feminization of labour force” in the context of trade diversification is found and (3) equal gender opportunities reflect in equalizing outcomes in the labour market.Originality/valueThe present study contributes to the literature on gender inequality and economic growth in three major ways. First, it focuses upon a set of factors that explain gender inequality in opportunities that may impede economic growth. The study tries to explore how the persistence of gender inequality in the labour market influences negatively economic growth. Further how economic growth and trade diversification create pathways to impact gender inequality in the labour market. Second, the study tries to show how the male–female gap in employment opportunities constrains trade diversification. Third, trade diversification can induce modifications in the structure of production across sectors which can have a positive or negative impact on gender inequality. The actual impact is a matter of empirical exploration which this study has attempted. The author has shown in this study that gender inequality in a developing country like India reduces trade diversification directly through gender gaps in opportunity and indirectly by impeding economic growth which adversely impacts trade diversification.

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.

The Australian Labour Market in 2007

2008 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin O'Brien ◽  
Abbas Valadkhani ◽  
Keith Townsend
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Interest Rate ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Federal Election ◽  
Work Choices

Both global and domestic economic growth remained robust in 2007 resulting in historically low unemployment and high labour force participation in Australia. However, these favourable labour force statistics were overshadowed for much of the year by a number of other issues such as the continuing drought, high oil and petrol prices and associated inflation and interest rate pressures, a November federal election, and the first full year of the operation of the Work Choices legislation. This article will address each of these issues by presenting an analysis of the macroeconomy and labour market, and reviewing the labour market implications of the Work Choices legislation in Australia.

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 Nurturing the next Canadian generation: The case for labour market research

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 19
Author(s):  
Kevin McQuillan
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Young People ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Market Research ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
New Economy ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
Public Issues ◽  
Le Canada

As rates of population and labour force growth slow in Canada, the country faces important challenges in promoting economic growth and sustaining prosperity. Among the most important public issues are increasing labour force participation rates among groups with low or declining rates of work and reforming education to better prepare graduates for the jobs of the new economy. At the same time, Canada needs to respond to the shifting geography of work. The concentration of employment in a limited number of major urban centres is driving young people to seek work in high-cost cities, while many smaller cities and regions face the prospect of economic and demographic decline.Alors que les taux de population et la croissance de la population active ralentissent au Canada, le pays devra relever d’importants défis pour promouvoir la croissance économique et maintenir la prospérité. Les plus importantes questions d’ordre public porteront, entre autres, sur le taux de participation, au sein de la population active, de groupes présentant des taux d’emploi faibles ou en déclin et la réforme de l’éducation afin de mieux préparer les diplômés aux emplois de la nouvelle économie. Le Canada doit, en même temps, aborder la géographie changeante du travail. La concentration des emplois dans quelques grands centres urbains pousse les jeunes à chercher du travail dans les villes où le coût est élevé, alors que les villes plus petites et les régions sont confrontées au déclin économique et démographique.Mots-clés : population et environnement; climat; utilisation d’énergie; pointe de population

Trade liberalization and gender inequality: role of social norms

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 2-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ujjaini Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Social Norms ◽  
Labour Market ◽  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Power Distribution ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Marginal Utility ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Household Work ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of trade liberalization on gender earning differentials and female labour force participation by considering the interaction between changes in relative wages, intra-household bargaining power and social norms. Design/methodology/approach A three-sector general equilibrium model is developed where female labour supply is determined as a collective household decision and depends on male and female wages and intra-household power distribution. On the other hand, the effect of power distribution on female labour supply depends on social norms. Findings Comparative static analysis shows that a tariff cut may reduce female labour force participation and widen gender earning inequality if (i) the agricultural sector is more male labour-intensive than the informal sector, and the marginal utility of the woman from household work is higher than that of the man or (ii) the agricultural sector is more female labour-intensive than the informal sector, and the marginal utility of the woman’s household work is higher to the man than the woman. Policies to raise the empowerment of women might lead to favourable labour market outcomes for women if the marginal utility of the woman’s household work is higher to the man than the woman irrespective of the factor intensity condition. Research limitations/implications The results signify that the effect of trade liberalization hinges on both factor intensity conditions and the relative work preferences of women vis-à-vis men, which in turn is shaped by social norms. Originality/value The paper contributes to the scant theoretical literature on labour market consequences of trade liberalization by considering the gender equality implications of trade liberalization from a supply side perspective. The results of the model are used to explain the recent gendered labour market consequences in India in the aftermath of trade liberalization.

scholarly journals Fertility in Alberta in a Context of Rapid Economic Growth, 1997-2007

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 497 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Trovato
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Baby Boom ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Fertility Rates ◽  
Birth Rates ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Fertility Change

Historically, birth rates in Alberta have followed closely the trajectory of change experienced by the other Canadian provinces. Its total fertility rate fell during the low point of the 1930s; it increased during the post-War baby boom in the 1950s and sixties, and thereafter fell to subreplacement levels beginning in the mid 1970s. In recent years, especially since the early 2000s, the birth rate in Alberta has unexpectedly increased, such that by 2007, it had reached 1.90 children per woman - not far from the 2.1 level needed for generational replacement in the long term. During this same period both national and provincial fertility rates fluctuated at levels below those of Alberta (except Saskatchewan and Manitoba, whose rates have been higher). In this study, I examine the historical pattern of fertility change in Alberta, noting similarities and differences with the other provinces. I then look at the association of selected macro level factors (marriage, unemployment, wages, female labour force participation) with change in total and parity-specific birth rates between 1997 and 2007, a period of unprecedented economic growth in Alberta. The statistical results show that although marriage is not significantly correlated with change in fertility rates, male and female wages and female labour force participation all show associations consistent with a procyclical interpretation of fertility change - that is, periods of economic growth are conducive to fertility increase whereas bad economic times are associated with reduced fertility.

scholarly journals Bullying at school and labour market outcomes

2014 ◽  
Vol 35 (8) ◽  
pp. 1185-1211 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Drydakis
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Employment Outcomes ◽  
Hourly Wage ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the long-term correlates of bullying in school with aspects of functioning in adult employment outcomes. Design/methodology/approach – Bullying is considered and evaluated as a proxy for unmeasured productivity, and a framework is provided that outlines why bullying might affect employment outcomes through differences in skills and traits. Using Bivariate and Heckit models the paper employs a variety of specifications and finds several interesting patterns. Findings – By utilising the 2008 Greek Behavioural Study data set the regression outcomes suggest that labour force participation, employment rate and hourly wages are negatively affected by bullying. In addition, men, homosexuals, immigrants, unmarried people, those having higher negative mental health symptoms, and those having lower human capital are more negatively affected by bullying in terms of labour force participation, employment probability and hourly wages. Moreover, Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions suggest that labour force participation gaps, employment gaps and hourly wage gaps between minority and majority groups, especially for gay men and the disabled, can be explained by bullying incidents. Practical implications – It seems likely that having been a victim of bullying also has economic implications later in life due to withdrawal from the labour market and lower wages. Originality/value – The retrospective bullying index used in the current study measured the combined and ordered effect of the duration and intensity of bullying, which generates 17 outcomes that ultimately capture a large range of alternative options. In addition, the author suggested that bullying might be understood as a productivity trait that provides a direct input into the production process, which might drive abilities or traits and influence adult employment outcomes. Contemporary economic analysis suggests that cognitive and non-cognitive skills are important factors that affect labour productivity through reasoning ability and productivity.

scholarly journals Women’s participations in economic and NGO activities in Bangladesh

2016 ◽  
Vol 36 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 491-515 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hafiz T.A. Khan ◽  
Twyeafur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Economic Crisis ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Wealth Index ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Demographic And Health Surveys ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Number Of Children

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine key factors affecting the economic involvement of women in Bangladesh and women’s involvement with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) particularly in microcredit operating in that country. Design/methodology/approach – The study uses nationally representative data set. Quantitative analysis was utilised to explore data contained in the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Surveys 2007 and 2011. Findings – The findings indicate that age, marital status, number of children living in the household, place of residence, geographical location, education, partner’s education and the wealth index are important factors in enabling women’s involvement in economic activities. In other words, the key findings emerged from the study are first, the low level of women’s economic activities in Bangladesh with a majority involved in farming, agriculture and poultry; second, those women involved in the labour market generally tended to come from poor backgrounds, have very little education, live in the Northwest geographical region and have a large family living in the same house; and finally, age, currently married, having a higher number of children, living in rural areas, from the Northwest region with almost no education and belonging to the poor wealth index quintile are found to be associated more with NGO activities in Bangladesh. Social implications – The findings indicate there are potential barriers that are preventing Bangladeshi women from engaging in the labour market that could reinforce the case for reshaping the government’s labour policies. The study reveals that the recent economic crisis has no significant impact on the women labour force participation as well their involvement in NGO activities in Bangladesh. It is generally understood that enhancing women’s economic participation and NGO activities has a positive impact at family, community and country levels. The study concludes that investing in women, particularly in creating employment opportunities including NGO sectors can help the country as a safeguard even during the economic crisis. It is anticipated that the findings will help policy-makers in enhancing female labour force participation as well as encouraging them to engage in NGO activities in Bangladesh. Originality/value – The research paper is original in terms of conceptual framework, research design and statistical analysis.

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