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Why are fewer married women joining the work force in rural India? A decomposition analysis over two decades

Author

Listed:
  • Farzana Afridi

    (Indian Statistical Institute (ISI))

  • Taryn Dinkelman

    (Dartmouth College)

  • Kanika Mahajan

    (Ashoka University)

Abstract

In contrast with global trends, India has witnessed a secular decline in women’s employment rates over the past few decades. We investigate this decline in rural areas, where the majority of Indian women reside. Using parametric and semi-parametric decomposition techniques, we show that changes in individual and household attributes fully account for the fall in women’s labor force participation in 1987–1999 and account for more than half of the decline in 1999–2011. Our findings underscore increasing education levels among rural married women and the men in their households as the most prominent attributes contributing to this decline. We provide suggestive evidence that changes in more educated women’s relative returns to home production compared with market production may have adversely affected female labor force participation in rural India.

Suggested Citation

  • Farzana Afridi & Taryn Dinkelman & Kanika Mahajan, 2018. "Why are fewer married women joining the work force in rural India? A decomposition analysis over two decades," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 31(3), pages 783-818, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jopoec:v:31:y:2018:i:3:d:10.1007_s00148-017-0671-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s00148-017-0671-y
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Female labor force participation; Decomposition analysis; Education; India;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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