ARTICLE

LOW FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION IN PAKISTAN CAUSES AND FACTORS

  1. HOME
  2. ARTICLE

14 Pages : 237-264

http://dx.doi.org/10.31703/gssr.2018(III-III).14      10.31703/gssr.2018(III-III).14      Published : Sep 2018

Low Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: Causes and Factors

Abstract

    Pakistan has the lowest Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) rate in the South Asian region. The study has used the latest round of Labor Force Survey 2014-15 and analyzed the individual and household factors that are associated with low FLFP in Pakistan. This study finds that there is less probability for urban women to take part in labor force activities. At national and regional level higher secondary and above levels of education have positive and significant relationship with FLFP whereas the situation is different for the four provinces of Pakistan. In case of Punjab province graduation and above levels of education are positively affiliated with FLFP, in Sind province higher secondary and above levels of education are positively associated with FLFP, in KPK province, matric and above levels of education are positively influencing FLFP decisions and in Baluchistan province primary and above levels of education are positively influencing women's decisions to participate in labor force activities. Women living in joint family systems, non-migrated, recipient of technical or vocational trainings are also more likely to participate in labor force activities. The study provides useful insights for policy makers to formulate appropriate policies to increase FLFP rate in Pakistan.

    (1) Zubaria Andlib
    Ph.D Scholar, School of Economics, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
    (2) Aliya H Khan
    Prof. (R), School of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan.
Fulltext PDF

References

  • Aly, Y. H., & Quisi,I. A. (1996). Determinants of women labour force participation in Kuwait: A logit analyses. The Middle East Business and Economic Review, 8(2), 1-9.
  • Assaad, R., & Zouari, S. (2003). Estimating the impact of marriage and fertility on the female labor force participation when decisions are interrelated: Evidence from urban Morocco. University of Minnesota Project On Gender, Work and Family in Middle East.
  • Arango, L. E., & Posada, C.E. (2007). Labor participation of Married Women in Colombia. Desarrollo y Sociedad, 60, 93-126.
  • Becker, G. S. (1957). The economics of discrimination. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1st edition.
  • Becker, G. S. (1965). A theory of the allocation of time. The Economic Journal, 75(299), 493-517.
  • Becker, G. S. (1971). The economics of discrimination. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2ndt edition
  • Bhalla, S. S., & Kaur, R. (2011) . Labour force participation of women in India: Some facts, some queries. Asia Research Centre Working Paper, London School of Economics.
  • Blau, F. D. & Kahn, L. M. (1996). Wage structure and gender earnings differentials: An international comparison. Economica 63(250), 29-62.
  • Bradbury, K. & Katz, J. (2005). Women's rise: A work in progress. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Regional Review, 14(3), 58-67.
  • Bridges, S., Lawson, D., & Begum, S. (2011).Labour market outcomes in Bangladesh: The role of poverty and gender norms. European Journal of Development Research, 23.
  • Ejaz, M. (2007). Determinants of female labor force participation in Pakistan: An empirical analysis of PSLM (2004-05) micro data. Lahore Journal of Economics, 12(Special Edition), 203-233.
  • Ejaz. M., (2011). Labour force participation in Pakistan: An instrumental variable approach. Centre for Research in Economics and Business working paper No. 01-11.
  • Faridi, M. Z., Malik, S., & Basit, A. (2009). Impact of education on female labour force participation in Pakistan: Empirical evidence from primary data analysis. Pakistan Journal of Social Sciences, 29(1), 127-140.
  • Faridi, M. Z., & Rashid, A. (2014). The correlates of educated woman's labor force participation in Pakistan: A micro-study. The Lahore Journal of Economics, 19(2),155-184.
  • Farooq, M. & Sulaiman, J. (2009). Gender earnings inequality and discrimination in the Pakistani labor market.The Dialogue.4 (3), 373-385.
  • Fikaa,H.B., & Sokeng, G. D. (2016). Participation of women in the economic activity in Cameroon. Sociology Study, 6(1), 28‐ 45.
  • Fuchs, J., Kubis, A., & Schneider, L. (2016). Replacement migration from a labour market perspective. Germany's long-term potential labour force and immigration from non-EU member countries. IAB-Discussion Paper 04.
  • Funkhouser, E. (2006). The effect of emigration on labor market outcomes of sender households: A longitudinal approach using data from Nicaragua. Well-Being and Social Policy, 2(2), 5-25.
  • Hafeez, A., & Ahmad, E. (2002). Factors determining the labor force participation decision of educated married women in a district of Punjab. Pakistan Economic and Social Review, 40(1), 75-88.
  • He, X. & Zhu, R. 2013. Fertility and Female Labor Force Participation: Causal Evidence from Urban China. The Manchester School, 84(5), 664-674
  • Hussain, M., Anwar, S., &Haung, S. (2016).Socioeconomic and demographic factors affecting labor force participation in Pakistan. Journal of Sustainable Development, 9(4), 70-79.
  • Irfan, M., Anwar,A., Akram, W., & Waqar, I. (2013). Occupational gender segregation and its determinants, an analysis of Pakistan labor force market. American Journal of Educational Research, 1(7), 221-224.
  • Jadotte, E. (2009). International Migration, Remittances and Labour Supply: The Case of the Republic of Haiti. Research paper / UNU-WIDER, No. 2009.28, ISBN 978-92-9230-199-6, UNU-WIDER, Helsinki
  • Lee, B. S., Jang, S., & Sarkar, J. (2008). Women labor force participation and marriage: The case of Korea. Journal of Asian Economics, 19(2), 138- 154.
  • Kemal , B. & Naci, G. (2009). Female labor force participation in urbanization process: the case of Turkey. MPRA Paper No. 18249
  • Klasen, S., &Pieters, J., (2015). What explains the stagnation of female labor force participation in urban India? The World Bank Economic Review, 29 (3), 449-478.
  • Khan, M.Z. & Hafeez,A. (2017). Economic activities and unmarried labour. Economic Research-Ekonomska Istraživanja, 30(1). 985-991, DOI: 10.1080/1331677X.2017.1305805
  • Khan, R. E.A., & Khan, T. (2009). Labor force participation of married women in Punjab (Pakistan). Journal of Economic and Social Research, 11(2) 2009, 77-106.
  • Kanjilal-Bhaduri, S. & Pastore, F. (2017). Returns to education and female participation nexus: evidence from India. IZA Institute of Labor Economics Discussion Paper No 11209.
  • Karaoglan, D., &Okten, C.(2012). Labor force participation of married women in Turkey: Is there an added or a discouraged worker effect? IZA Discussion Paper No 6616 available http://repec.iza.org/dp6616.pdf
  • Malamud O, Pop-Eleches C (2010) Academic education versus vocational training: evidence from an economy in transition. Review of Economics and Statistics, 92(1), 43-60.
  • Mincer, J. (1962). Inter-country comparisons of labor force trends and of related developments: An Overview. Journal of Labor Economics, 3(1).
  • Naqvi, Z. F. & Shahnaz, L. (2002). How do women decide to work in Pakistan?. The Pakistan Development Review, 41(4), 495-513.
  • Ntuli, M. (2007). Determinants of south african women's labour force participation, 1995-2004. Institute of Labour Studies Discussion Paper no 3119.
  • Papps, K. L. (2010). Female labour supply and spousal education. IZA Discussion Paper 5348 available http://ftp.iza.org/dp5348.pdf
  • Qian, N. (2008). Missing women and the price of tea in china: the effect of sexspecific earnings on sex imbalance. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 123(3), 1251-1285.
  • Robinson, J. (2005), Female labour force participation in the Middle East and North Africa. Wharton Research Scholars Journal, University of Pennsylvania.
  • Sabir, M. & Aftab, Z. (2007).Dynamism in the gender wage gap:Evidence from Pakistan. The Pakistan Development Review, 46(4), 865-882.
  • Saha, O., & Kalita, M. ( 2015) . Determinants of female work participation and labour supply behaviour of urban women in Tripura: A logit estimation. Social Change and Development, 12(1), 77-87.
  • Samari, G., & Pebley, A.R. (2015). Individual and household determinants of women's autonomy: recent evidence from Egypt. California Center for Population Research Working Paper, 2015-004, University of California
  • Sefiddashti, S. E., Rad, E.H., Arab, M., & Bordbar, S. ( 2016). Female labor supply and fertility in Iran: A comparison between developed, semi developed and less developed regions. Iran. Journal of Public Health, 45(2), 186-193.
  • Sudarshan, R. M. (2014),
  • Pignatti, N., Torosyan, K., & Chitanava, M. (2016). Toothless reforms? The remarkable stability of female labor force participation in a top-reforming country.IZA Discussion Paper No. 10440.
  • Torun, H. & Tumen, S. (2017). Do vocational high school graduates have better employment outcomes than general high school graduates? IZA Discussion Paper No No. 10507
  • Varol, F. (2017). The determinants of labor force participation of women in Turkey: A binary logit analysis.Journal of History Culture and Art Research, 6(2), 92-108.

Cite this article

APA

CHICAGO

    CHICAGO : Andlib, Zubaria, and Aliya H Khan. 2018. "Low Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: Causes and Factors." Global Social Sciences Review, III (III): 237-264 doi: 10.31703/gssr.2018(III-III).14

HARVARD

    HARVARD : ANDLIB, Z. & KHAN, A. H. 2018. Low Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: Causes and Factors. Global Social Sciences Review, III, 237-264.

MHRA

    MHRA : Andlib, Zubaria, and Aliya H Khan. 2018. "Low Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: Causes and Factors." Global Social Sciences Review, III: 237-264

MLA

    MLA : Andlib, Zubaria, and Aliya H Khan. "Low Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: Causes and Factors." Global Social Sciences Review, III.III (2018): 237-264 Print.

OXFORD

    OXFORD : Andlib, Zubaria and Khan, Aliya H (2018), "Low Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan: Causes and Factors", Global Social Sciences Review, III (III), 237-264

TURABIAN