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Cultural norms, economic incentives and women's labour market behaviour: Empirical insights from Bangladesh

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  • Heinz, James
  • Kabeer, Naila
  • Mahmud, Simeen

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

  • Heinz, James & Kabeer, Naila & Mahmud, Simeen, 2017. "Cultural norms, economic incentives and women's labour market behaviour: Empirical insights from Bangladesh," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 84316, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:84316
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/84316/
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2008. "Whispers to Voices," World Bank Publications - Reports 26334, The World Bank Group.
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    3. Mahmud, Simeen, 2003. "Is Bangladesh Experiencing Feminization of the Labor Force?," Bangladesh Development Studies, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), vol. 29(1-2), pages 1-38, March-Jun.
    4. Neff, Daniel & Sen, Kunal & Kling, Veronika, 2012. "The Puzzling Decline in Rural Women's Labor Force Participation in India: A Reexamination," GIGA Working Papers 196, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    5. Asadullah, M. Niaz & Savoia, Antonio & Mahmud, Wahiduddin, 2014. "Paths to Development: Is there a Bangladesh Surprise?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 138-154.
    6. Hossain, Mahabub & Bose, Manik Lal & Ahmad, Alia, 2004. "Nature and impact of women's participation in economic activities in rural Bangladesh: insights from household surveys," Working Papers 2004:20, Lund University, Department of Economics.
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    Cited by:

    1. Najeeb,Fatima & Morales,Matias & Lopez-Acevedo,Gladys C., 2020. "Analyzing Female Employment Trends in South Asia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9157, The World Bank.
    2. repec:aly:journl:202186 is not listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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