Event details
Speaker:
Dr Robert Riegler
Aston Business School, Aston University
This event will discuss research which analyses whether globalisation, i.e. informational and economic globalisation, promoted or impeded female labour force participation (FLFP) in South Asia.
Abstract
Purpose
This study analyses 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 employed 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 to 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 (i) using the more comprehensive KOF globalisation measure to identify the overall effect of globalisation on FLFP in South Asia, (ii) being the first study to analyse the impact of informational alongside economic globalisation, and (iii) investigating whether globalisation affects the LFP rate of various female age cohorts differently.