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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, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7197
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    Cited by:

    1. 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.
    2. 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.
    3. 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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    Keywords

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    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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