The determinants of female labor force participation in Jordan.

Abstract

In spite of remarkable advances in its socioeconomic setting, Jordan has one of the lowest female labor force participation rates among Arab countries, which are generally among the lowest in the world. Investigation of the reasons behind the underutilization of women in Jordan is overdue. This study explores the nature and magnitude of the determinants of female labor force participation in Jordan. Also, it reaches conclusions that may be useful to policy makers for devising policies to better integrate women in the development process. This study utilizes the 1982-83 Manpower Survey conducted by the Department of Statistics in Jordan. The study employs both bivariate and multivariate techniques, and uses ordinal and logistic regression models to analyze the data. Distinct models are estimated for single women and for ever-married women, as well as a model for the pooled sample. The empirical results show diverse factors affect female labor force participation. The participation of single women is affected significantly by their religion, age, residence, education, parent's education, and family size. Ever-married women's labor force participation is influenced by their religion, age, marital status, residence, education, family size, and family available income (total family income excluding respondent's income). These are in addition to presence of preschool children and the presence of other women ages 15 and above in the household. The most important determinants of labor force participation are found to be education, marital status, and religion. Women with secondary education and those not currently married are much more likely to be in the work force. Muslim women are less likely to be working, which reflects the influence of cultural traditions rather than Islam. Economic variables are found to be less important than the other variables. In summary, this study provides insights into the influence of cultural, demographic and socioeconomic factors on female labor force participation. It calls for the formulation of policies and programs to increase enhance women's role in the development process. These include policies to promote female education, ensure equal access to jobs, and create a consensus among policy makers and the public in favor of women's work.