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Female Labour Force Participation in MENA's Manufacturing Sector: The Implications of Firm-Related and National Factors

Author

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  • Fakih, Ali

    (Lebanese American University)

  • Ghazalian, Pascal L.

    (University of Lethbridge)

Abstract

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region falls behind several other geo-economic regions in terms of women's participation rates in the labour market. This paper examines the implications of firm-related and national factors for Female Labour Force Participation (FLFP) rates in manufacturing firms located in the MENA region. The empirical investigation uses data derived from the World Bank's Enterprise Surveys database and applies fractional logit models to carry out the estimations. The results reveal positive implications of many firm-related factors, mainly private foreign ownership and exporting activities, for FLFP rates. National factors, such as economic development and gender equality, are also found to promote FLFP rates. These effects are generally found to be more important for women's overall labour participation rates than for women's non-production labour participation rates.

Suggested Citation

  • Fakih, Ali & Ghazalian, Pascal L., 2013. "Female Labour Force Participation in MENA's Manufacturing Sector: The Implications of Firm-Related and National Factors," IZA Discussion Papers 7197, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7197
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    2. Uwe Jirjahn & Jens Mohrenweiser, 2021. "Works councils and organizational gender policies in Germany," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 59(4), pages 1020-1048, December.
    3. Ariane Pailhé & Anne Solaz, 2019. "Is there a wage cost for employees in family‐friendly workplaces? The effect of different employer policies," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 26(5), pages 688-721, June.
    4. Ali Fakih, 2018. "What Determines Vacation Leave? The Role Of Gender," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(1), pages 1-19, January.
    5. Verena Lauber & Johanna Storck, 2016. "Helping with the Kids? How Family-Friendly Workplaces Affect Parental Well-Being and Behavior," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1630, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    6. Verena Lauber & Sarah Reiter & Johanna Storck, 2015. "Familienfreundlichkeit in Unternehmen - Status Quo in Deutschland und Forschungsstand," DIW Roundup: Politik im Fokus 77, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    7. Laszlo Goerke & Sabrina Jeworrek, 2021. "Paid vacation use: The role of works councils," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 42(3), pages 473-503, August.
    8. Özgür Demirtaş & Aykut Arslan & Mustafa Karaca, 2019. "Why perceived organizational and supervisory family support is important for organizations? Evidence from the field," Review of Managerial Science, Springer, vol. 13(4), pages 841-869, August.
    9. Ana I. Moro Egido & Joaquin Naval & Jose I. Silva, 2023. "Part-time hours and wages," ThE Papers 23/06, Department of Economic Theory and Economic History of the University of Granada..
    10. Thomas Hofmarcher, 2021. "The effect of paid vacation on health: evidence from Sweden," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(3), pages 929-967, July.
    11. Jianwei Deng & Yuangeng Guo & Hubin Shi & Yongchuang Gao & Xuan Jin & Yexin Liu & Tianan Yang, 2020. "Effect of Discrimination on Presenteeism among Aging Workers in the United States: Moderated Mediation Effect of Positive and Negative Affect," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-19, February.
    12. Hayo Bernd & Caris Tobias, 2013. "Female Labour Force Participation in the MENA Region: The Role of Identity," Review of Middle East Economics and Finance, De Gruyter, vol. 9(3), pages 271-292, December.
    13. Laszlo Goerke & Sabrina Jeworrek & Markus Pannenberg, 2015. "Trade union membership and paid vacation in Germany," IZA Journal of Labor Economics, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 4(1), pages 1-26, December.
    14. Tekin Akgeyik, 2021. "Fazla Çalışmanın İşyükü ve İşgücü Belirleyicileri(Bir Şirketin Veri Seti Üzerine Ampirik Bir Araştırma)," Journal of Social Policy Conferences, Istanbul University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 0(80), pages 37-65, June.
    15. Hanan Nazier & Racha Ramadan, 2016. "Women's Participation in Labor Market in Egypt: Constraints and Opportunities," Working Papers 999, Economic Research Forum, revised May 2016.
    16. Ahmed Fayez Abdelgouad, 2016. "Exporting and Workforce Skills-Intensity in the Egyptian Manufacturing Firms: Empirical Evidence Using World Bank Firm-Level Data for Egypt," Working Paper Series in Economics 358, University of Lüneburg, Institute of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    female labour force participation; fractional logit model; manufacturing firms; MENA region;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J82 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor Standards - - - Labor Force Composition

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