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The effect of fertility and education on female labour force participation in Ghana

Author

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  • Baah-Boateng, William
  • Frempong, Richard
  • Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward

Abstract

This study examines the forces behind female labour force participation (flfP) in Ghana by focusing on the role played by fertility and education, for both urban and rural dwellers. Applying a logistic regression to the fifth round of the Ghana Living standards survey (Glss 5) we established that women with basic and tertiary education have a higher propensity of participation compared with those with no education. The results further indicate significant positive marginal effects for women with children, suggesting that having more children increases the likelihood of participation. This observation was more pronounced in the rural urban estimates. The paper suggests that women’s labour force participation and home production are complements rather than substitutes considering the dominance of women in self-employment and/or informal sector where women are able to combine work and home production. moreover, the study established a positive relationship between females in good health and the level of participation, and discusses some policy recommendations to encourage participation of women in the Ghanaian labour force.

Suggested Citation

  • Baah-Boateng, William & Frempong, Richard & Nketiah-Amponsah, Edward, 2013. "The effect of fertility and education on female labour force participation in Ghana," MPRA Paper 109703, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:109703
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    8. Aysit Tansel, 2001. "Economic Development and Female Labor Force Participation in Turkey: Time-Series Evidence and Cross-Province Estimates," Working Papers 0124, Economic Research Forum, revised 08 2001.
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    Cited by:

    1. Karra, Mahesh & Wilde, Joshua, 2023. "Economic Foundations of Contraceptive Transitions: Theories and a Review of the Evidence," IZA Discussion Papers 15889, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
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    3. de Jong, Eelke & Smits, Jeroen & Longwe, Abiba, 2017. "Estimating the Causal Effect of Fertility on Women’s Employment in Africa Using Twins," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 90(C), pages 360-368.
    4. Emmanuel Aderinola ADEGUN & Sunday Festus OLASUPO & Ishola James ARANSIOLA & Toluwani Grace KALEJAIYE & Timothy Ayomitunde ADEREMI, 2023. "Role of Female Labour Participation in Reducing Income Inequality in ECOWAS Sub-Region," Business & Management Compass, University of Economics Varna, issue 1, pages 60-79.
    5. Nsanja, Lamulo, 2022. "Effects of Education on Fertility and Labour Supply: Evidence from Malawi," African Journal of Economic Review, African Journal of Economic Review, vol. 10(4), September.
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    7. Yew Seng Law & Chung-Khain Wye, 2023. "The effects of fertility on female labour force participation in OECD countries: the role of education and health," Studies in Economics and Econometrics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(3), pages 280-302, July.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labour Force Participation; Fertility; Education; Female Ghana;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure

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