What Is Women’s Work? Reflections from Four North Indian Urban Clusters

Urbanisation ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 245574712110383
Author(s):  
Devesh Kapur ◽  
Milan Vaishnav ◽  
Dawson Verley
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Data Accuracy ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Gender Composition ◽  
Error Measurement ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Reporting Error ◽  
Data Validity ◽  
Unique Source

The actual extent of the female employment challenge in India is much debated. Data on female labour force participation (FLFP) in India is hampered by shortcomings in data validity and data accuracy. The objective of this article is to explore challenges to data accuracy through two potential sources of error: measurement error and reporting error. Drawing on a unique source of granular survey data from households in four north Indian urban clusters, we demonstrate that the precise nature of the survey employed has meaningful impacts on the reporting of FLFP. Furthermore, the gender composition of respondents also seems to matter although, after controlling for gender, self-reporting is indistinguishable from proxy reporting.

scholarly journals Migration and intergenerational stability in female employment: The impact of differences between sending and receiving countries

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorian Tsolak ◽  
Marvin Bürmann ◽  
Martin Kroh
Keyword(s):  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Participation Rates ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Employment Stability ◽  
Female Immigrants ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Contextual Differences

Objective: This article studies the intergenerational stability of employment in families of immigrants cross-nationally by investigating to what extent contextual differences between sending and receiving countries affect the transmission of labour force participation from mothers to daughters. Background: It is often argued that a low level of labour force participation among female immigrants reflects gender norms inherited from the sending country, or, alternatively, that it is indicative of obstacles to social mobility in the receiving country. We seek to add to the existing research on this topic by providing evidence of differences between sending and receiving countries that systematically affect the labour market behaviour of female immigrants. Method: We use individual-level data from the European Social Survey (ESS) for 35 receiving countries for a 14-year period (2004-2018) in combination with contextual data for 172 sending countries from 1960 to 2018. First, we provide an overview of employment rates and intergenerational employment stability for different combinations of sending and receiving contexts with respect to the labour force participation rates of female immigrants. Second, we corroborate our descriptive findings with multilevel models. Results: Our paper shows that there are changes in the levels of intergenerational employment stability among immigrants depending on the differences in the female labour force participation rates between the sending and the receiving countries. We find that when women migrate from countries with low female labour force participation rates to countries with high female labour force participation rates, their probability of participating in the labour force increases. However, we also find that the levels of intergenerational employment stability in this group are high. Conclusion: Intergenerational employment stability seems to be responsive to contextual differences between sending and receiving countries. We observe the highest levels of intergenerational stability in employment between mothers and daughters in families who migrated from countries with low female labour force participation rates to countries with high female labour force participation rates.

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.................................

scholarly journals Factors Leading Female Labour Force Involvement in Rwanda

2019 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 30-39
Author(s):  
Mbonigaba Celestin
Keyword(s):  
Labor Force ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labor ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Research Questions

The study evaluates the determinants of female labour force participation in Rwanda. The specific objectives were to establish the determinants of female labour choice to working in different sectors in Rwanda, and investigate the factors which affect female labour force participation in Rwanda. To be able to respond to the research questions and objectives, the Rwanda labor force survey data of year 2018 data collected by National institute of statistics of Rwanda (NISR) was used.  As this study, use national coverage data with a representative sample of 8936 households in the second round of august 2018, while the sample size in the first round of February 2018 was 8924 households. The validity and representatively of the sample was done and tested by NISR (2018).  The documentation on administrative data was done to compare and triangulation of results from the survey. The documents targets were available annual reports that talk about female labor force participation rate in 2018. The data analysis was done by descriptive statistical method to analyze data into quantitative by showing frequency, percentages and cumulative percent, the cross tabulation was used to show the relationship between dependent and independent variables, and finally logistic regression models was used to predict the odds ratios and probability of being employed and access the main determinant of female labor force market outcome in Rwanda. The study findings were summarized in accordance with the research objectives. The survey respondent’s female in employment ages includes 40.1% of female from urban and 59.9% female in employment age are from rural areas. Among which almost 40.8% of female surveyed were married with one husband. It is evidenced that many females are single not yet married (34.5%). The findings show that to analyse the socioeconomic and demographic factors determining the factors of female employment in public institutions and the choice of employment using labor force survey data collected by NISR in the year of 2018. The multinomial and binary models provided almost the same trends in explaining the determinants of female employment in Rwanda, explained by near similar coefficients and odd ratios either in magnitude and sings. This technique helped to examine probable determinants of female employment and the estimation of these probabilities of being employed or being government employee. Hence, the findings of this study help us to confirm that the problem of the study was solved, research objectives were achieved, and research questions were answered where we confirmed that there are different determinants of female labour force participation in Rwanda. Government should develop the Soft skills which are important for both men and women, women may benefit more from soft skills training to foster self-esteem, decision-making, negotiation skills, and perseverance, for example. Acknowledging women’s time constraints, provide flexible schedules and various time options for participation in services (e.g., mornings, evenings, and weekends).

scholarly journals Economic Growth-Female Labour Force Participation Nexus: An Empirical Evidence for Pakistan

2012 ◽  
Vol 51 (4II) ◽  
pp. 565-586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nooreen Mujahid ◽  
Naeem Uz Zafar Naeem Uz Zafar
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Strong Relationship ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Labour

Economic literature shows significant attention towards the role played by female labour force in the economic development of nations. The structural changes of economies from agriculture to industrial and services sector reduce the female labour force participation in case of developing nations. The activities of female labour force increases in the later stage of economic development due to increase in education and dynamics of economic activity. As the size of the economy expands females have easier and better access of jobs thus are encouraged to become economically active, it leads to increase female participation in the productive activities. The participation of female labour force is desirable for both equity and efficiency reasons. The equity aspect shows that the women’s participation in the labour market ultimately improves their relative economic position, increase the overall economic efficiency by enhancing the development potential of the country. Moreover, the increasing integration of women in the economy helps in reducing gender disparities in education, improving maternal health, increasing sectoral share of female employment in different sectors of the economy, demonstrating the hidden contribution of women as unpaid family worker especially in agriculture sector. According to the modernisation theorists, economic development is positively associated with female labour force participation through change in the occupational structure and increase in educational opportunities along with the household responsibilities. The modernisation process is linked with increased demand for labour, a general social acceptance of women’s education and employment as well as lower fertility [Heckman (1980); Standing (1981); Bauer and Shin (1987)]. A body of theoretical and empirical literature provides evidence that female labour force participation has a positive and strong relationship with economic growth [Tansel (2002) and Fatima and Sultana (2009)].

scholarly journals Inequality and female labour force participation in West Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-264
Author(s):  
Chimere Okechukwu Iheonu ◽  
Ozoemena Nwodo ◽  
Uchechi Anaduaka ◽  
Ugochinyere Ekpo
Keyword(s):  
Income Inequality ◽  
West Africa ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Female Employment ◽  
Female Labour Force Participation ◽  
Reverse Causality ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Participation Of Women ◽  
The Impact

This study examined the impact of income inequality on female labour force participation in West Africa for the period 2004 to 2016. The study employed the Gini coefficient, the Atkinson index and the Palma ratio as measures of income inequality. For robustness, the study also utilises female employment and female unemployment as measures of female labour force participation. The study employed the instrumental variable fixed effects model with Driscoll and Kraay standard errors to account for simultaneity/reverse causality, serial correlation, groupwise heteroskedasticity and cross-sectional dependence. The empirical results reveal that the three measures of income inequality significantly reduce the participation of women in the labour force in West Africa. The study also revealed that domestic credit, remittances and female education are positively associated with female labour force participation in the sub-region. Further findings reveal that economic development reduces the participation of women in the labour force in West Africa with the U-shaped feminisation theory not valid for the West African region. The study, however, revealed an inverted U-shaped relationship between inequality and female unemployment. Policy recommendations based on these findings are discussed.

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.

How Has the Middle Fared in the Netherlands? A Tale of Stagnation and Population Shifts

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wiemer Salverda ◽  
Stefan Thewissen
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Labour Force ◽  
Labour Force Participation ◽  
Real Income ◽  
Female Labour ◽  
Wage Moderation ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
Real Increase ◽  
Dual Income ◽  
Household Incomes

This chapter sets out how inequality and real incomes across the distribution evolved in the Netherlands from the late 1970s through the economic Crisis. Inequality grew, though not dramatically, while wages showed remarkably little real increase. This meant that real income increases for households relied for the most part on the growth in female labour-force participation and in dual-income couples. The chapter highlights the major changes in population and household structures that underpinned the observed changes in household incomes at different points in the distribution. It also sets out key features of the institutional structures in the labour market and broader welfare state, and the centrality of the priority given to wage moderation and the maintenance of competitiveness in the growth model adopted throughout the period.

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