Determinants of Female Labor Force Participation for Economic Development

Abstract

The paper sheds a light on the significance of female labor force participation in economic upstream. Policy framework for women upgradation (educationally and economically) lacks in Pakistan leading to worsening of gender disparity. The time series data for Pakistan on employment in different sectors (services, industry and agriculture), contributing family worker rate, unemployment, school enrollment and female representation in national assembly are taken as regressors whereas female labor force participation is an explained variable and ARDL is run to find long run relationship of the time series. The alarming situation is observed as female labor force participation is declining trend in Pakistan. According of Global Gender Gap Report, it is observed that economies with higher HDI have shown less gender disparity on global gender gap index. The economies with poor economies have more gender disparity. The literature informs that women contribution facilitates economic growth and the living standards improves. However, in Pakistan the declining trend of school enrollment, FLFP, employment in agriculture sector evokes a thought of rapid policy development to build infrastructure for facilitating role of women in an economy.