Costs Deviating from the Social Norm: Toward Enhancement of Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K17065
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Economic policy
• Research Institution: Institute of Developing Economies, Japan External Trade Organization
• Principal Investigator: Makino Momoe 独立行政法人日本貿易振興機構アジア経済研究所, 地域研究センター南アジア研究グループ, 研究員 (50450531)
• Research Collaborator: Munir Tariq
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 女性労働参加 / パルダ / パキスタン / 結婚市場

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to investigate the level of normative barriers that prevent female labor force participation (FLFP) in Pakistan, where the FLFP rate is the lowest among South Asian countries, and to explore the factors that could lower them, and eventually to lead to policy implications enhancing FLFP. We focus on the social norm, specifically purdah practice (i.e., practice of female segregation from non-relative males). In South Asia, violating purdah is considered a shame for the entire family. While women can maintain value as a bride in the marriage market by observing purdah, they lose income-generating opportunities. This study conducted a unique household survey to collect data to measure the level of purdah practice, and the costs of deviating from purdah, and aims at empirically revealing the association between the bride's value in the marriage market and her working status.

Free Research Field

開発経済学　家族経済学　人口経済学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

結婚市場と女性の労働参加との関係を解明する実証研究は乏しい。本研究は南アジアのなかでも女性の労働参加率が低いパキスタンで、パルダの強度・逸脱費用を計測し、結婚市場における花嫁の価値と女性の労働参加との関係を実証的に明らかにした。本研究の成果は、パキスタンの女性の労働参加を促進させる、ひいてはパキスタンの経済発展・女性の貧困削減につながる政策提言につながるものと考える。