IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wbk/wbrwps/10801.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Impacts of COVID-19 on Female Labor Force Participation in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Author

Listed:
  • Dang,Hai-Anh H.
  • Salehi Isfahani,Djavad
  • Do,Minh N. N.

Abstract

Although female labor force participation in the Islamic Republic of Iran is among the lowest in the world, there is a lack of studies on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s female labor force participation. This paper finds that female labor force participation decreased during the pandemic years by around 1 percentage point in 2021 and 2022. When controlling for excess mortality rates, the declines increase by as much as 3.9 and 8.7 percentage points in late 2021 and early 2022, respectively. Compared to the modest, pre-pandemic female labor force participation rates, these figures translate into 5 percen t and 18-40 percent decreases, respectively. There is heterogeneity, with more educated individuals being more likely to work. Compared to married individuals, divorcees were more likely to work, and those who were widowed or never married were less likely to work. The results offer relevant inputs for labor policies, particularly those aimed at reducing gender inequalities.

Suggested Citation

  • Dang,Hai-Anh H. & Salehi Isfahani,Djavad & Do,Minh N. N., 2024. "The Impacts of COVID-19 on Female Labor Force Participation in the Islamic Republic of Iran," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10801, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10801
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099754306122452987/pdf/IDU1fed0c78413aaa1416418ee210fd3dce112ad.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Krafft Caroline & Assaad Ragui & Marouani Mohamed Ali & Cheung Ruby & LaPlante Ava, 2023. "Are labor markets in the Middle East and North Africa recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic?," IZA Journal of Development and Migration, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 14(1), pages 1-68, January.
    2. Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, 2023. "The impact of sanctions on household welfare and employment in Iran," Middle East Development Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(2), pages 189-221, July.
    3. Mahmud, Mahreen & Riley, Emma, 2021. "Household response to an extreme shock: Evidence on the immediate impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on economic outcomes and well-being in rural Uganda," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    4. Bundervoet, Tom & Dávalos, Maria E. & Garcia, Natalia, 2022. "The short-term impacts of COVID-19 on households in developing countries: An overview based on a harmonized dataset of high-frequency surveys," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    5. Ragui Assaad & Caroline Krafft & Irene Selwaness, 2022. "The Impact of Marriage on Women's Employment in the Middle East and North Africa," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 28(2), pages 247-279, April.
    6. Titan Alon & Sena Coskun & Matthias Doepke & David Koll & Michèle Tertilt, 2022. "From Mancession to Shecession: Women’s Employment in Regular and Pandemic Recessions," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 36(1), pages 83-151.
    7. Egger, Dennis & Miguel, Edward & Warren, Shana S. & Shenoy, Ashish & Collins, Elliott & Karlan, Dean & Parkerson, Doug & Mobarak, A. Mushfiq & Fink, Günther & Udry, Christopher & Walker, Michael & Hau, 2021. "Falling living standards during the COVID-19 crisis: Quantitative evidence from nine developing countries," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 7(6), pages 1-1.
    8. Garyfallos Konstantinoudis & Michela Cameletti & Virgilio Gómez-Rubio & Inmaculada León Gómez & Monica Pirani & Gianluca Baio & Amparo Larrauri & Julien Riou & Matthias Egger & Paolo Vineis & Marta Bl, 2022. "Regional excess mortality during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in five European countries," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    9. Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak & Edward Miguel, 2022. "The Economics of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poor Countries," Annual Review of Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 14(1), pages 253-285, August.
    10. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Viet Nguyen, Cuong, 2021. "Gender inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic: Income, expenditure, savings, and job loss," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 140(C).
    11. Ashwini Deshpande, 2022. "The Covid-19 pandemic and gendered division of paid work, domestic chores and leisure: evidence from India’s first wave," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(1), pages 75-100, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dang, Hai-Anh H & Salehi-Isfahani, Djavad & Do, Minh N.N., 2024. "The Impacts of COVID-19 on Female Labor Force Participation in Iran," IZA Discussion Papers 17001, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    2. Chakravorty, Bhaskar & Bhatiya, Apurav Yash & Imbert, Clément & Lohnert, Maximilian & Panda, Poonam & Rathelot, Roland, 2023. "Impact of the COVID-19 crisis on India’s rural youth: Evidence from a panel survey and an experiment," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    3. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Nguyen, Cuong Viet & Carletto, Calogero, 2023. "Did a successful fight against COVID-19 come at a cost? Impacts of the pandemic on employment outcomes in Vietnam," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    4. Hai-Anh H. Dang & Cuong Viet Nguyen, 2024. "Agricultural Production as a Coping Strategy during the Covid-19 Pandemic? Evidence from Rural Viet Nam," Working Papers DP-2023-23, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    5. Kugler, Maurice & Viollaz, Mariana & Duque, Daniel & Gaddis, Isis & Newhouse, David & Palacios-Lopez, Amparo & Weber, Michael, 2023. "How did the COVID-19 crisis affect different types of workers in the developing world?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    6. Brunckhorst, Ben & Cojocaru, Alexandru & Kim, Yeon Soo & Kugler, Maurice, 2024. "Long COVID: The evolution of household welfare in developing countries during the pandemic," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    7. Hangoma, Peter & Hachhethu, Kusum & Passeri, Silvia & Norheim, Ole Frithjof & Rivers, Johnathan & Mæstad, Ottar, 2024. "Short- and long-term food insecurity and policy responses in pandemics: Panel data evidence from COVID-19 in low- and middle-income countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 175(C).
    8. Hai-Anh Dang & Toan L.D. Huynh & Manh-Hung Nguyen, 2023. "Does the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affect the poor? Evidence from a six-country survey," Journal of Economics and Development, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(1), pages 2-18, December.
    9. Carlos F. Gould & Ajay Pillarisetti & Lisa M. Thompson & Sonakshi Saluja & Vagisha Nandan & Johannes Urpelainen, 2023. "Using high-frequency household surveys to describe energy use in rural North India during the COVID-19 pandemic," Nature Energy, Nature, vol. 8(2), pages 169-178, February.
    10. Bundervoet, Tom & Dávalos, Maria E. & Garcia, Natalia, 2022. "The short-term impacts of COVID-19 on households in developing countries: An overview based on a harmonized dataset of high-frequency surveys," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 153(C).
    11. Dang, Hai-Anh H. & Oseni, Gbemisola & Abanokova, Kseniya, 2025. "Educational inequalities during COVID-19: Results from longitudinal surveys in Sub-Saharan Africa," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    12. Elena Ellmeier & Melanie Koch & Thomas Scheiber, 2023. "Saving behavior along the income distribution during the COVID-19 pandemic," Focus on European Economic Integration, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue Q1/23, pages 7-21.
    13. Hammond, James & Siegal, Kim & Milner, Daniel & Elimu, Emmanuel & Vail, Taylor & Cathala, Paul & Gatera, Arsene & Karim, Azfar & Lee, Ja-Eun & Douxchamps, Sabine & Tu, Mai Thanh & Ouma, Emily & Lukuyu, 2022. "Perceived effects of COVID-19 restrictions on smallholder farmers: Evidence from seven lower- and middle-income countries," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 198(C).
    14. Fukai, Taiyo & Ikeda, Masato & Kawaguchi, Daiji & Yamaguchi, Shintaro, 2023. "COVID-19 and the employment gender gap in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    15. Rosa Luz Durán, 2022. "COVID-19 and heterogeneous vulnerabilities in the Peruvian labor market: implications for social inequalities and for gender gaps," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(1), pages 129-156, April.
    16. Tőkés, László, 2025. "Javítja-e a női munkavállalók válság állóságát a női döntéshozók jelenléte?. Nemi homofília és a she-cession jelenség [Does the presence of female decision-makers improve the crisis resilience of f," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(2), pages 141-157.
    17. Elisa Brini & Stefani Scherer & Agnese Vitali, 2024. "Gender and Beyond: Employment Patterns during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Italy," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 43(3), pages 1-23, June.
    18. Joseph B. Ajefu & Ayse Demir & Padmali Rodrigo, 2023. "Covid-19-induced Shocks, Access to Basic Needs and Coping Strategies," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 35(6), pages 1347-1368, December.
    19. Rudin-Rush, Lorin & Michler, Jeffrey D. & Josephson, Anna & Bloem, Jeffrey R., 2022. "Food insecurity during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic in four African countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    20. Bloem, Jeffrey & Michler, Jeffrey & Josephson, Anna & Rudin-Rush, Lorin, 2022. "COVID-19 Working Paper: Food Insecurity During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Four African Countries," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 2022(Administr), July.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:10801. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Roula I. Yazigi (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dvewbus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.