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Female Labor in Jordan: A Systematic Approach to the Exclusion Puzzle

Author

Listed:
  • Semiray Kasoolu

    (Center for International Development at Harvard University)

  • Ricardo Hausmann

    (Harvard's Growth Lab)

  • Tim O'Brien

    (Center for International Development at Harvard University)

  • Miguel Angel Santos

    (Center for International Development at Harvard University)

Abstract

Women in Jordan are excluded from labor market opportunities at among the highest rates in the world. Previous efforts to explain this outcome have focused on specific, isolated aspects of the problem and have not exploited available datasets to test across causal explanations. We develop a comprehensive framework to analyze the drivers of low female employment rates in Jordan and systematically test their validity, using micro-level data from Employment and Unemployment Surveys (2008-2018) and the Jordanian Labor Market Panel Survey (2010-2016). We find that the nature of low female inclusion in Jordan’s labor market varies significantly with educational attainment, and identify evidence for different factors affecting different educational groups. Among women with high school education or less, we observe extremely low participation levels and find the strongest evidence for this phenomenon tracing to traditional social norms and poor public transportation. On the higher end of the education spectrum – university graduates and above – we find that the problem is not one of participation, but rather of unemployment, which we attribute to a small and undiversified private sector that is unable to accommodate women’s needs for work and work-family balance.

Suggested Citation

  • Semiray Kasoolu & Ricardo Hausmann & Tim O'Brien & Miguel Angel Santos, 2019. "Female Labor in Jordan: A Systematic Approach to the Exclusion Puzzle," Growth Lab Working Papers 147, Harvard's Growth Lab.
    • Handle: RePEc:glh:wpfacu:147
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. World Bank, 2018. "Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan," World Bank Publications - Reports 30947, The World Bank Group.
    2. Alessandra Fogli & Raquel Fernandez, 2009. "Culture: An Empirical Investigation of Beliefs, Work, and Fertility," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(1), pages 146-177, January.
    3. World Bank Group, 2019. "Women, Business and the Law 2019 [Les Femmes, l’Entreprise et le Droit 2019]," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 31327.
    4. Miles, Rebecca, 2002. "Employment and Unemployment in Jordan: The Importance of the Gender System," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 30(3), pages 413-427, March.
    5. Ricardo Hausmann & Tim O'Brien & Miguel Angel Santos & Ana Grisanti & Jorge Tapia, 2019. "Jordan: The Elements of a Growth Strategy," CID Working Papers 346, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    6. Schultz, T. Paul, 1995. "Human Capital and Economic Development," 1994 Conference, August 22-29, 1994, Harare, Zimbabwe 183410, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    7. Ragui Assaad & Moundir Lassassi & Shaimaa Yassin & Rana Hendy, 2020. "Explaining the MENA paradox: Rising educational attainment yet stagnant female labor force participation," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 43(28), pages 817-850.
    8. Heckman, James, 2013. "Sample selection bias as a specification error," Applied Econometrics, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), vol. 31(3), pages 129-137.
    9. Rania Salem, 2012. "Trends and Differentials in Jordanian Marriage Behavior: Marriage Timing, Spousal Characteristics, Household Structure and Matrimonial Expenditures," Working Papers 668, Economic Research Forum, revised 2012.
    10. Claudia Goldin, 2014. "A Grand Gender Convergence: Its Last Chapter," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 104(4), pages 1091-1119, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ricardo Hausmann & Patricio Goldstein & Ana Grisanti & Tim O'Brien & Jorge Tapia & Miguel Angel Santos, 2019. "A Roadmap for Investment Promotion and Export Diversification: The Case for Jordan," Growth Lab Working Papers 150, Harvard's Growth Lab.
    2. Doruk, Ömer Tuğsal & Pastore, Francesco, 2022. "A Tale of Parallel Processes of Gender (In-)Equality: How Big Is the Glass Ceilings for MENA Women?," IZA Discussion Papers 15152, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Farah Hani & Miguel Angel Santos, 2021. "Diagnosing Human Capital as a Binding Constraint to Growth: Tests, Symptoms and Prescriptions," CID Working Papers 144a, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    4. Adely, Fida Issa J. & Mitra, Ankushi & Mohamed, Menatalla & Shaham, Adam, 2021. "Poor education, unemployment and the promise of skills: The hegemony of the “skills mismatch” discourse," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    5. Tim O'Brien & Thảo-Nguyên Bùi & Ermal Frasheri & Fernando Garcia & Eric S. M. Protzer & Ricardo Villasmil & Ricardo Hausmann, 2022. "What Will It Take for Jordan to Grow?," CID Working Papers 411, Center for International Development at Harvard University.

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    Keywords

    Skills & Human Capital;

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