Labour Force Participation and Nature of Employment Among Women in Selangor,Malaysia

Abstract

There is an honest nexus between women’s participation in the workforce and national economic growth. However, the participation of women in the workforce in developing countries is still lagging behind compared to developed nations. Hence, the fundamental question that arises here is what are the key determinants to influence women to participate in the workforce with a special reference to Malaysia? To answer this research question, this study aims to identify the influencing determinants that motivate women to participate in the labour market in Malaysia. Based on data that have been collected from primary and secondary sources, logit model is used to analyse the factors affecting female labour force participation. The findings reveal that education, household income, financial condition of the households, family size and family background play a substantial role for female participation in the workforce. It implies that educated women and those who belong to joint families are more willing to participate in the workforce due to financial obligation. Based on the positive findings of this study, policymakers can take substantive steps to accelerate women’s participation in the workforce in Malaysia.

Keywords

Female labour force women’s participation determining factors Malaysia

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