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Cultural norms, economic incentives and women’s labour market behaviour: empirical insights from Bangladesh

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  • James Heintz
  • Naila Kabeer
  • Simeen Mahmud

Abstract

This paper sets out to explore a seeming puzzle in the context of Bangladesh. There is a considerable body of evidence from the country pointing to the positive impact of paid work on women’s position within family and community. Yet, according to official statistics, not only has women’s labour force participation risen very slowly over the years, but also a sizeable majority of women in the labour force are in unpaid family labour. We draw on an original survey of over 5000 women from eight different districts in Bangladesh to explore some of the factors that lead to women’s selection into the labour force, and into different categories of labour market activity, with a view to gaining a better understanding of the combination of cultural norms and economic considerations that explain these findings.

Suggested Citation

  • James Heintz & Naila Kabeer & Simeen Mahmud, 2018. "Cultural norms, economic incentives and women’s labour market behaviour: empirical insights from Bangladesh," Oxford Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(2), pages 266-289, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:oxdevs:v:46:y:2018:i:2:p:266-289
    DOI: 10.1080/13600818.2017.1382464
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    Cited by:

    1. Amrit Amirapu & M Niaz Asadullah & Zaki Wahhaj, 2018. "Marriage, Work and Migration: The Role of Infrastructure Development and Gender Norms," Studies in Economics 1810, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    2. Alessandro De Pinto & Greg Seymour & Elizabeth Bryan & Prapti Bhandari, 2020. "Women’s empowerment and farmland allocations in Bangladesh: evidence of a possible pathway to crop diversification," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 1025-1043, November.
    3. Mohammad Niaz Asadullah & Zaki Wahhaj, 2019. "Female Seclusion from Paid Work: A Social Norm or Cultural Preference?," Working Papers ECARES 2019-10, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    4. Lo Bue, Maria C. & Le, Tu Thi Ngoc & Santos Silva, Manuel & Sen, Kunal, 2022. "Gender and vulnerable employment in the developing world: Evidence from global microdata," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    5. Amirapu, Amrit & Asadullah, M. Niaz & Wahhaj, Zaki, 2022. "Social barriers to female migration: Theory and evidence from Bangladesh," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    6. Mustafizur Rahman & Marzuka Md. Al-Hasan, 2019. "Women in Bangladesh Labour Market: Determinants of Participation, Gender Wage Gap and Returns to Schooling," CPD Working Paper 124, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
    7. repec:aly:journl:202186 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Hasanbasri,Ardina Roosiany & Kilic,Talip & Koolwal,Gayatri B. & Moylan,Heather G., 2021. "Individual Wealth and Time Use : Evidence from Cambodia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9765, The World Bank.
    9. Bellani, Luna & Biswas, Kumar & Fehrler, Sebastian & Marx, Paul & Sabarwal, Shwetlena & Al-Zayed Josh, Syed Rashed, 2023. "Social Norms and Female Labor Force Participation in Bangladesh: The Role of Social Expectations and Reference Networks," IZA Discussion Papers 16006, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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