Can globalisation promote female labour force participation?
International Journal of Development Issues
ISSN: 1446-8956
Article publication date: 30 July 2020
Issue publication date: 20 August 2020
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to analyse whether globalisation, i.e. informational and economic globalisation, promoted or impeded female labour force participation (FLFP) in South Asia.
Design/methodology/approach
The KOF Globalisation Index is used alongside a fixed effect panel data Discroll–Kraay estimator to control for unobserved factors and achieve robust standard errors. The sample covers all South Asian countries for the period 1999–2015.
Findings
Globalisation does not advocate the “feminisation of employment”; in fact, the impact is negative. This is driven by the economic dimension of globalisation, particularly for younger women. However, this impact is mitigated by informational globalisation that affects FLFP positively, especially for women aged 35 years and older.
Practical implications
Without support of the right governmental policies, there is a danger of globalisation creating new obstacles for women to enter the labour market.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the existing literature by using the more comprehensive KOF globalisation measure to identify the overall effect of globalisation on FLFP in South Asia, being the first study to analyse the impact of informational alongside economic globalisation, and investigating whether globalisation affects the labour force participation rate of various female age cohorts differently.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The author currently works for a UK governmental department (Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS)) and not for a University.
Citation
Sangha, H. and Riegler, R. (2020), "Can globalisation promote female labour force participation?", International Journal of Development Issues, Vol. 19 No. 3, pp. 303-322. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJDI-07-2019-0135
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2020, Emerald Publishing Limited