IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/tec/journl/v31y2022i1p408-429.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Wage Differential Compensation Can Women Be Economically Empowered? Empirical Evidence from South Asia

Author

Listed:
  • Weerasekara Mudiyanselage Pasan Wijayawardhana

    (Department of Economics, Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka)

  • Dinesha Siriwardhane

    (Department of Business Economics, Faculty of Management Studies & Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka)

Abstract

Purpose- This study investigates the responsiveness of South Asian women to wage increment at the macro level and examines the South Asian women's sensitivity on compensating wage differentials in terms of economic empowerment of women in the South Asian region at the micro-level. Design/methodology/approach - In the macro level analysis, the model used annual time series data from four South Asian countries; Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh over the period of 2000 to 2017. Micro-level analysis of the study was done with the use of primary data gained through a questionnaire survey from the same sample countries and it covers the economic advancement and power and agency dimensions of women's economic empowerment. The women's wage compensation sensitivity index (WWCSI) constructed based on the survey results was used to build up the relationship between wage differential compensation and women's economic empowerment. Findings - According to the results of macro level analysis of this study, wage is a key determinant of female labor force participation. Findings of micro level analysis suggest that compensating wage differentials is a strong tool that can economically empower South Asian women. It further shows that estate females are less sensitive to wage differential compensation than rural and urban females. And educated females show greater sensitivity for wage differential compensation than non-educated females. This research also identified relatively low wage differential compensation sensitivity in terms of power and agency compared to the economic advancement dimension in women's economic empowerment. Originality/value - These findings support the view that wage differential compensation is "gendered", and therefore, requires a special program to economically empower females.

Suggested Citation

  • Weerasekara Mudiyanselage Pasan Wijayawardhana & Dinesha Siriwardhane, 2022. "Wage Differential Compensation Can Women Be Economically Empowered? Empirical Evidence from South Asia," Technium Social Sciences Journal, Technium Science, vol. 31(1), pages 408-429, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:tec:journl:v:31:y:2022:i:1:p:408-429
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://techniumscience.com/index.php/socialsciences/article/view/6374
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://techniumscience.com/index.php/socialsciences/article/view/6374/2300
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Patricia M. Anderson & Philip B. Levine, 1999. "Child Care and Mothers' Employment Decisions," NBER Working Papers 7058, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Arnstein Aassve & Bruno Arpino & Alice Goisis, 2012. "Grandparenting and mothers’ labour force participation: A comparative analysis using the Generations and Gender Survey," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 27(3), pages 53-84.
    3. Behrman, Jere R & Deolalikar, Anil B, 1987. "Will Developing Country Nutrition Improve with Income? A Case Study for Rural South India," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 95(3), pages 492-507, June.
    4. Jonna P. Estudillo & JAgnes R. Quisumbing & JoKeijiro Otsuka, 2001. "Gender Differences in Land Inheritance and Schooling Investments in the Rural Philippines," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 77(1), pages 130-143.
    5. Doss, Cheryl R., 1996. "Women'S Bargaining Power In Household Economic Decisions: Evidence From Ghana," Staff Papers 13517, University of Minnesota, Department of Applied Economics.
    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. repec:thr:techub:10031:y:2022:i:1:p:408-429 is not listed on IDEAS
    2. 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.
    3. Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Payongayong, Ellen M. & Otsuka, Keijiro, 2004. "Are wealth transfers biased against girls?," FCND briefs 186, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    4. Maria Donovan Fitzpatrick, 2010. "Preschoolers Enrolled and Mothers at Work? The Effects of Universal Prekindergarten," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 28(1), pages 51-85, January.
    5. Basole, Amit & Basu, Deepankar, 2015. "Fuelling Calorie Intake Decline: Household-Level Evidence from Rural India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 82-95.
    6. Kassie, Menale & Fisher, Monica & Muricho, Geoffrey & Diiro, Gracious, 2020. "Women’s empowerment boosts the gains in dietary diversity from agricultural technology adoption in rural Kenya," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C).
    7. Priya Bhagowalia & Susan E. Chen & William A. Masters, 2008. "The Distribution Of Child Nutritional Status Across Countries And Over Time," Working Papers 08-04, Purdue University, College of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Economics.
    8. Okabe, Masayoshi, 2016. "Gender-preferential intergenerational patterns in primary educational attainment: An econometric approach to a case in rural Mindanao, the Philippines," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 125-142.
    9. 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.
    10. Chris Herbst & Burt Barnow, 2008. "Close to Home: A Simultaneous Equations Model of the Relationship Between Child Care Accessibility and Female Labor Force Participation," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 128-151, March.
    11. Lídia Farré, 2013. "The Role of Men in the Economic and Social Development of Women: Implications for Gender Equality," The World Bank Research Observer, World Bank, vol. 28(1), pages 22-51, February.
    12. Gustav RANIS & Frances STEWART, 2001. "Growth And Human Development: Comparative Latin American Experience," The Developing Economies, Institute of Developing Economies, vol. 39(4), pages 333-365, December.
    13. David Blau, 2003. "Child Care Subsidy Programs," NBER Chapters, in: Means-Tested Transfer Programs in the United States, pages 443-516, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    14. P. J. Dawson & A. I. Sanjuan, 2011. "Calorie consumption and income: panel cointegration and causality evidence in developing countries," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(15), pages 1455-1461.
    15. Matthias Keese, 2011. "Thrifty Wives and Lavish Husbands? – Bargaining Power and Financial Dicisions in Germany," Ruhr Economic Papers 0258, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, Universität Dortmund, Universität Duisburg-Essen.
    16. Irz, Xavier & Mazzocchi, Mario & Réquillart, Vincent & Soler, Louis-Georges, 2015. "Research in Food Economics: past trends and new challenges," Revue d'Etudes en Agriculture et Environnement, Editions NecPlus, vol. 96(01), pages 187-237, March.
    17. Wang, Ye & Zhao, Xindong, 2022. "Grandparental childcare, maternal labor force participation, and the birth of a second child: Further knowledge from empirical analysis," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 762-770.
    18. Vos, R.P. & Cuesta, J.D. & León, M. & Lucio, R. & Rosero, J., 2005. "Reaching the millennium development goal for child mortality : Improving equity and efficiency in Ecuador's health budget," ISS Working Papers - General Series 19169, International Institute of Social Studies of Erasmus University Rotterdam (ISS), The Hague.
    19. Sanjaya DeSilva & Mohammed Mehrab Bin Bakhtiar, 2011. "Women, Schooling, and Marriage in Rural Philippines," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_701, Levy Economics Institute.
    20. Jing You & Katsushi S. Imai & Raghav Gaiha, 2014. "Decoding the Growth-Nutrition Nexus in China: Inequality, Uncertainty and Food Insecurity," Discussion Paper Series DP2014-28, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University, revised Dec 2014.
    21. Chandana Maitra & Sriram Shankar & D.S. Prasada Rao, 2016. "Income Poor or Calorie Poor? Who should get the Subsidy?," Discussion Papers Series 564, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Female labor force participation; South Asia; Women empowerment; Women's wage differential compensation sensitivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:tec:journl:v:31:y:2022:i:1:p:408-429. 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: Tasente Tanase (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    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.