Women, Labor Participation and Household Poverty in Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigates female labor force participation (FLFP) in Nigeria, over the period 1990–2020. It analyzes the effect of some poverty indices on FLFP, thereby contributing to the ongoing debate on female labor participation, particularly as it relates to household poverty and its alleviation. The study sources data from World Bank Data Bank and employs autoregressive distributive lags after confirming the stationarity of all variables of interest. While there is no long-run relationship among the variables of interest, the results from the short-run estimate show that one year lagged FLFP, fertility (family size), total unemployment and gender ratio in labor participation are poverty indices that positively influence female labor participation. On the other, female unemployment, male unemployment and GDP growth rate are negative determinants. However, female education and household income per capita as poverty indices are insignificant determinants of female labor participation for the period under study. These findings are important for government/policy-makers in Nigeria to develop a policy framework that can improve poverty in the country as well encourage FLFP in the country since their contributions have meaningful impact in alleviating household poverty and on the entire economy.

Citation

Idowu, O.O. and Idowu, O.O. (2022), "Women, Labor Participation and Household Poverty in Nigeria", Fawole, O.A. and Blair, S.L. (Ed.) Families in Nigeria: Understanding Their Diversity, Adaptability, and Strengths (Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, Vol. 18), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 69-85. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1530-353520220000018006