IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/hdnspu/27868.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Why are educated women less likely to be employed in India? Testing competing hypotheses

Author

Listed:
  • Maitreyi Bordia Das, and Sonalde Desai

Abstract

In this paper we use the Indian National Sample Survey data for 1993-94 to examine the relationship between women's education and labor force participation. While it has been recognized in the literature that education is associated with lower labor force participation for women in South Asia, the reasons behind this association are less well understood. Two competing theories potentially explain this phenomenon - one based on cultural factors and the other on labor market options. Cultural arguments suggest that women's withdrawal from labor force is associated with improvement in the social status of the family. Higher status families choose to educate their daughters, but at the same time, restrict their independence through labor force withdrawal. In contrast, structural arguments suggest that educated women - like educated men - prefer white collar jobs. Since formal sector jobs only comprise 7 percent of all jobs, opportunities for these desirable jobs is limited, resulting in labor force withdrawal of women. We propose empirical tests to examine whether job availability or patriarchal controls play an important role in shaping this relationship. Our results suggest that cultural factors appear to be less important than lack of employment opportunities.

Suggested Citation

  • Maitreyi Bordia Das, and Sonalde Desai, 2003. "Why are educated women less likely to be employed in India? Testing competing hypotheses," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 27868, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:hdnspu:27868
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2004/02/18/000090341_20040218143822/Rendered/PDF/278680SP0discussion00313.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Lam & Suzanne Duryea, 1999. "Effects of Schooling on Fertility, Labor Supply, and Investments in Children, with Evidence from Brazil," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 34(1), pages 160-192.
    2. Marcel Fafchamps & Agnes R. Quisumbing, 1999. "Human Capital, Productivity, and Labor Allocation in Rural Pakistan," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 34(2), pages 369-406.
    3. Kingdom, G.G. & Unni, J., 1998. "Education and Women's Labour Market Outcomes in India: An Analysis Using NSS Household Data," Economics Series Working Papers 99201, University of Oxford, Department of Economics.
    4. Psacharopoulos, George, 1994. "Returns to investment in education: A global update," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 22(9), pages 1325-1343, September.
    5. Maharatna, Arup, 2000. "Fertility, mortality and gender bias among tribal population: an Indian perspective," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 50(10), pages 1333-1351, May.
    6. Sonalde Desai, 2016. "Gender Inequalities and Demographic Behaviour," Working Papers id:11452, eSocialSciences.
    7. Desai, Sonalde & Linda J., Waite, 1991. "Women's employment during pregnancy and after the first birth: Occupational characteristics and work commitment," MPRA Paper 111172, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Niels-Hugo Blunch & Maitreyi Bordia Das, 2015. "Changing norms about gender inequality in education: Evidence from Bangladesh," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 32(6), pages 183-218.
    2. Jim Davies, "undated". "Empirical Evidence on Human Capital Externalities," Working Papers-Department of Finance Canada 2003-11, Department of Finance Canada.
    3. Sanghamitra Kanjilal-Bhaduri & Francesco Pastore, 2018. "Returns to Education and Female Participation Nexus: Evidence from India," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 61(3), pages 515-536, September.
    4. Hou, Zhezhi & Jin, Man & Kumbhakar, Subal C., 2020. "Productivity spillovers and human capital: A semiparametric varying coefficient approach," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 287(1), pages 317-330.
    5. Estudillo, Jonna P. & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2001. "Income distribution in rice-growing villages during the post-Green Revolution periods: the Philippine case, 1985 and 1998," Agricultural Economics, Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 71-84, June.
    6. Chaudhary, Ruchika. & Verick, Sher., 2014. "Female labour force participation in India and beyond," ILO Working Papers 994867893402676, International Labour Organization.
    7. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pb:p:2859-2939 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Jonna P. ESTUDILLO & Agnes R. QUISUMBING & Keijiro OTSUKA, 2001. "Gender Differences In Wealth Transfer And Expenditure Allocation: Evidence From The Rural Philippines," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 39(4), pages 366-394, December.
    9. Kanjilal-Bhaduri, Sanghamitra & Pastore, Francesco, 2018. "Returns to Education and Female Work Force Participation Nexus: Evidence from India," GLO Discussion Paper Series 162, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    10. repec:ilo:ilowps:486789 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Arup Maharatna, 2006. "Was India’s Tribal Demographic Behaviour Superior In The Past?," Working Papers id:429, eSocialSciences.
    12. Maryam Hosseini & Udoy Saikia & Gouranga Dasvarma, 2021. "The gap between desired and expected fertility among women in Iran: A case study of Tehran city," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(9), pages 1-21, September.
    13. A. F. Darrat & D. A. Yousef, 2004. "Fertility, human capital, and macroeconomic performance: long-term interactions and short-run dynamics," Applied Financial Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(8), pages 537-554.
    14. Diane Coffey & Ashwini Deshpande & Jeffrey Hammer & Dean Spears, 2019. "Local Social Inequality, Economic Inequality, and Disparities in Child Height in India," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 56(4), pages 1427-1452, August.
    15. Cécile Couharde & Rémi Generoso, 2015. "Hydro-climatic thresholds and economic growth reversals in developing countries: an empirical investigation," EconomiX Working Papers 2015-26, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    16. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4924 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Sodiq Arogundade & Mduduzi Biyase & Hinaunye Eita, 2021. "Foreign Direct Investment and Inclusive Human Development in Sub-Saharan African Countries:Does local Economic Conditions Matter?," Economic Development and Well-being Research Group Working Paper Series edwrg-01-2021, University of Johannesburg, College of Business and Economics, revised 2021.
    18. World Bank, 2001. "Kyrgyz Republic : Review of Social Policy and Expenditures, Volume 1. Overview of Health, Education and Social Protection Issues," World Bank Publications - Reports 15397, The World Bank Group.
    19. Claudio Aravena & Marc Badia-Miró & André A. Hofman & José Jofré González & Christian Hurtado, 2010. "Growth, Productivity and Information and Communications Technologies in Latin America, 1950–2005," Chapters, in: Mario Cimoli & André A. Hofman & Nanno Mulder (ed.), Innovation and Economic Development, chapter 5, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    20. Maja Micevska & Dil Bahadur Rahut, 2008. "Rural Nonfarm Employment and Incomes in the Himalayas," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 57(1), pages 163-193, October.
    21. Marattin, Luigi & Marzo, Massimiliano & Zagaglia, Paolo, 2013. "Distortionary tax instruments and implementable monetary policy," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 219-243.
    22. de la Croix, David & Docquier, Frederic & Liegeois, Philippe, 2007. "Income growth in the 21st century: Forecasts with an overlapping generations model," International Journal of Forecasting, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 621-635.
    23. William Maloney & Andrés Rodríguez‐Clare, 2007. "Innovation Shortfalls," Review of Development Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 11(4), pages 665-684, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wbk:hdnspu:27868. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Aaron F Buchsbaum (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/wrldbus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.