Can Political Empowerment Help Economic Empowerment? Women Leaders and Female Labor Force Participation in India

This study examines whether political empowerment of women affects their economic participation. In the context of mandated political representation reform for women in India, the study finds that the length of exposure to women politicians affects overall female labor force participation. These effects seem to arise through direct and indirect channels: political representation of women directly affects hours of work assigned to women under the recent national public works program, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. In addition, the level of access to public goods, as influenced by exposure to women leaders over time, increases the likelihood of women being engaged in the labor force. The findings suggest that women's participation in politics could be a useful policy tool to increase both the supply of and the demand for labor market opportunities for women, potentially helping to stem India's declining female labor force participation rate.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Mani, Anandi, Ghani, Ejaz, O'Connell, Stephen D.
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2013-10
Subjects:	BARGAINING POWER, CASUAL WORKER, CASUAL WORKERS, CATALYSTS, CHILD CARE, CITIZEN, COMPENSATION, CORRUPTION, CRIME, CRIMES, CULTURAL CHANGE, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, EARNING, ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY, ECONOMIC STATUS, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, EMPLOYEE, EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE, EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, EMPLOYMENT PATTERNS, EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS, EMPLOYMENT TRENDS, EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN, EXPOSURE TO WOMEN, FEMALE, FEMALE EMPLOYMENT, FEMALE LABOR, FEMALE LABOR FORCE, FEMALE LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION, FEMALE LEADERS, GENDER, GENDER DIFFERENCES, GENDER EQUALITY, GENDER GAP, GENDER INEQUALITY, GENDER ROLES, GIRLS, GPS, HEALTH CENTERS, HOME, HOMES, HOUSEHOLD DUTIES, HOUSEHOLD ENTERPRISE, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SURVEY, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, INFORMAL SECTOR, JOB OPPORTUNITIES, JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, JOBS, LABOR MARKET, LABOR MARKET OUTCOMES, LABOR MARKETS, LABOR SUPPLY, LABOUR, LABOUR FORCE, LABOUR FORCE PARTICIPATION, LAWS, LEGISLATORS, LEVELS OF EDUCATION, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, LOCAL INFRASTRUCTURE, MEDICAL FACILITIES, MINORITY, NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, NATIONAL LEGISLATION, NATIONAL LEGISLATURES, NATIONAL LEVEL, NATIONAL POPULATION, OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, OPPRESSION, PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN, PERSONAL SAFETY, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY MAKERS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN, POLITICAL POWER, POLITICAL REPRESENTATION OF WOMEN, POPULATION CENSUS, POPULATION ESTIMATES, PRESENT STUDY, PROGRESS, PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT, PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM, PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT, PUBLIC WORKS, PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAM, PUBLIC WORKS PROGRAMS, RESPECT, ROLE MODELS, RURAL AREAS, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, RURAL EMPLOYMENT, RURAL LABOR, RURAL LABOR MARKETS, SAFE DRINKING WATER, SEASONAL LABOR, SERVANTS, SEX, SHARE OF WORK, SOCIAL BARRIERS, SOCIAL SCIENCES, SOCIAL WELFARE, STATUS OF WOMEN, UNDP, UNEMPLOYED, UNEMPLOYMENT, URBAN AREAS, URBANIZATION, WAGE INCREASE, WAGE RATES, WILL, WOMAN, WOMEN CANDIDATES, WOMEN LEADERS, WOMEN WORKERS, WORKER, WORKING-AGE POPULATION,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/10/18429839/can-political-empowerment-help-economic-empowerment-women-leaders-female-labor-force-participation-india https://hdl.handle.net/10986/16890
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