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English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women

Author

Listed:
  • Antonio Di Paolo

    (AQR-IREA, University of Barcelona)

  • Aysit Tansel

    (Middle East Technical University, IZA (Germany) and ERF (Egypt))

Abstract

In this paper, we investigate the effect of the level of English skills on the labour market outcomes of Turkish women, using data from the Adult Education Survey of 2007. By adopting a bivariate equation framework, we jointly model the effect of English skills on labour market status and, conditional on being a wage earner, on monthly earnings and occupational status. The multinomial equation that explains labour market status allows for a different effect of language knowledge on the probability of being employed, unemployed but actively looking for a job, an unpaid family worker or involved in household tasks. The results indicate that being proficient in English is conditionally associated with a higher probability of being employed as a wage earner and, to a lesser extent, unemployed but looking for a job, whereas it decreases the likelihood of being involved in household tasks. Moreover, there is a significant conditional correlation between having a high level of skills in English and earnings, which is only modestly reduced when job-related variables and (especially) occupation dummies are included as additional controls. Indeed, being proficient in English barely affects occupational status when selection into employment status is controlled for. Therefore, the knowledge of foreign languages (in this case English) seems to stimulate labour market participation and earnings capacity, but does not substantially affect the occupational position of women in the Turkish labour market.

Suggested Citation

  • Antonio Di Paolo & Aysit Tansel, 2019. "English skills, labour market status and earnings of Turkish women," Koç University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum Working Papers 1901, Koc University-TUSIAD Economic Research Forum.
    • Handle: RePEc:koc:wpaper:1901
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    File URL: http://eaf.ku.edu.tr/sites/eaf.ku.edu.tr/files/erf_wp_1901.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Michele Gazzola & Daniele Mazzacani, 2019. "Foreign language skills and employment status of European natives: evidence from Germany, Italy and Spain," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 46(4), pages 713-740, November.
    2. Vera A. Adamchik & Thomas J. Hyclak & Piotr Sedlak & Larry W. Taylor, 2019. "Wage Returns to English Proficiency in Poland," Journal of Labor Research, Springer, vol. 40(3), pages 276-295, September.
    3. Yameogo, Souleymane, 2020. "Adopting Local Languages as Official Languages: Effect on Women and Rural Individuals' Labor Force in Burkina Faso," KDI Journal of Economic Policy, Korea Development Institute (KDI), vol. 42(2), pages 31-56.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration
    • Z13 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Language; Social and Economic Stratification

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