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Women's Employment, Unpaid Work and Intimate Partner Violence

Paper Session

Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022 12:15 PM - 2:15 PM (EST)

Hosted By: International Association for Feminist Economics
  • Chair: Abena D. Oduro, University of Ghana

Internalization of Patriarchal Attitudes and Women’s Labour Market and Economic Outcomes in Nigeria

Nkechi S. Owoo
,
University of Ghana

Abstract

In this paper, the link between Nigerian women’s internalization of patriarchal attitudes (IPA) and its impact on their labour market outcomes and asset ownership is explored. Using the 2018 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) and a variety of robust empirical modelling techniques, findings suggest that, controlling for potential endogeneity, greater internalization of patriarchal attitudes by men and women lead to worse economic and labour market outcomes for women. For example, when women and their male partners have more conservative attitudes, women are less likely to be currently employed. In instances where women are employed, they have higher odds of working for family members, an arrangement which is often characterized with greater labour market vulnerability. Interestingly, when men’s attitudes towards patriarchy are more liberal than their wives, women’s labour outcomes are more favourable- they are more likely to be currently employed and also less likely to be working for family members. These results suggest that deeply entrenched attitudes and patriarchal perceptions among women are potentially translated into their labour market behaviours, and the patriarchal beliefs and influences of their male partners cannot, and should not, be underestimated.

Walking for Water and Fuelwood: Welfare Implications for Women and Children in Ghana

Monica Lambon-Quayefio
,
University of Ghana

Abstract

In most sub-Saharan African countries, the burden of collecting fuelwood and water is heavily gendered as women and girls bear the greater responsibility of undertaking these chores. As a result, women and girls are constrained in their ability to directly engage in productive activities due to the simultaneity in the discharge of their multiple responsibilities within their households. The competing needs for women’s time, therefore, compel them to make choices and trade-offs which present challenges for poverty reduction. The broad objectives of the current study are to investigate the impact of women’s access to fuelwood and water on their children’s health and learning outcomes, explore to what extent women’s time spent in search of water and fuel wood for household use affect women’s health and their labour market outcomes. By employing the instrumental variable approach and the Ghana Socioeconomic Panel Survey, the study finds the following. First, mother’s time spent travelling to fetch water and fuelwood significantly reduces school attendance, increases the likelihood of children repeating grades, and the number of school hours missed per week. Second, mother’s travel time to fuelwood and water can potentially have a negative effect on the health outcomes of both children and women. Also, the results show that women’s probability of being in paid employment and the number of days worked are significantly reduced. These findings give a signal for policy makers to focus on the provision of infrastructure to minimize the impact of the gendered and time-consuming tasks on household welfare outcomes as well as increase the likelihood of attaining the sustainable development goals on poverty and gender equality.

Risk Factors of Intimate Partner Physical Violence among Married Women in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe

Jones Paintsil Arkoh
,
University of Cape Coast-Ghana
Christobe Asiedu
,
Louisiana Tech University
Elizabeth Asiedu
,
Howard University
Neepa Gaekwad Babulal
,
State University of New York-Freedonia
Tatenda P. Zinyemba
,
United Nations University-MERIT and Maastricht University School of Governance

Abstract

This paper employs data from the Demographic Health Surveys (DHS) to analyze the risk factors of intimate partner physical violence (IPPV) among married women in Ghana, Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe. The results show that: (i) In all four countries, being in a polygynous marriage and having an alcoholic spouse is associated with a higher risk of experiencing IPPV; (ii) In Ghana, Kenya and Zimbabwe, women with tertiary education are less likely to experience IPPV. In contrast, education is not correlated with the risk of experiencing IPPV in Malawi, that is, the risk of experiencing IPPV is the same for all women regardless of educational attainment; (iii) In Kenya and Zimbabwe, the risk of experiencing IPPV is the same for all women, regardless of area of residence (rural or urban). However, in Ghana and Malawi, living in an urban area is associated with a higher risk of experiencing IPPV; (iv) In Ghana and Malawi, the risk of IPPV is not correlated with employment status—the risk of experiencing IPPV is similar for all women (employed and unemployed). On the other hand, being employed is associated with a higher risk of IPPV in Kenya and Zimbabwe; (v) In Kenya, Malawi and Zimbabwe, the risk of experiencing IPPV is higher among women whose husbands are responsible for making decisions about large household purchases. However, in Ghana, the risk of IPPV is similar for women whose husbands make major decisions on large household purchase and those who do not. An important implication of our results is that the profile of married women who are at risk of experiencing IPPV varies by country. This research contributes to the nascent literature examining IPPV in multiple countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and the socio-demographic characteristics that put women at risk of IPPV.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Self-Employed Women in the UK

Jennifer Castañeda Navarrete
,
University of Cambridge

Abstract

This paper examines the impacts of recent welfare reforms and the COVID-19 pandemic on the economic security and time devoted to unpaid care work by self-employed women in the UK. It draws upon the original data analysis of the Labour Force Survey, conducted by the UK Office for National Statistics, and contributes to the growing literature on the disproportionate effect of the pandemic on women and the dabeat on the care system crisis.
In the UK women were more likely to be furloughed, and to spend significantly more time on unpaid household work and childcare (ONS, 2021). However, not all women have been equally affected. The pandemic has exposed pre-existing inequalities, including those between employees and self-employed people. In the last decade, self-employment has increased among women in the UK. A number of factors explain this trend, including: the economic crisis of 2008/09, public sector job losses, the uprating of the female retirement age, the crisis of the care system, and the advances in digital technologies (Women’s Budget Group, 2016; Ilkkaracan, 2016; Stanley et al, 2021).
Gender gaps among self-employed people tend to broader than among employees. Self-employed men charge 43% more, on average, for their work than self-employed women, compared to a 17% gender pay gap among employees (IPSE, 2020). In addition, self-employed women with caring responsibilities receive less support than employed women. They return to worm more quickly after having children, are not entitled to maternity pay and are less likely to claim maternity allowance (Women’s Budget Group, 2016; IPSE, 2020).
The paper builds upon the growing literature on the effects of public investment in the care sector (child care and elder care) on productivity, societal wellbeing and economic growth and argues that further reforms and investments are needed for an inclusive and sustainable recovery post-COVID-19.
JEL Classifications
  • C1 - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General
  • D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics