Racial differences in married female labor force participation behavior: An analysis using interracial marriages

Based on data from the 1980 census, three major findings emerge from this study. First, the labor force participation rate is higher for women in black-white interracial marriages than women in endogamous marriages. Second, the labor force participation rate of wives in interracial marriages, after adjusting for differences in observed personal characteristics, is approximately halfway between that of women in white homogeneous and black homogeneous marriages. Third, interracial marriages are more likely among women who are younger, Hispanic, foreign-born, more educated, previously married, and reside in the West.     

Labor force participation of black and white married women: Evidence from urban labor markets

The study theoretically argues that differential economic conditions constitute an important rationale for structural differences in labor force participation (LFP) between black and white married women. Empirical evidence based on 1980 census data for metropolitan statistical areas provides support for the concomitant hypotheses. Not only is the LFP propensity for black wives larger, but also it is relatively insensitive to the arguments of the LFP function. Thus policies designed to influence the LFP of these two racial groups must internalize the differential economic conditions between them.     

Unemployment and labor force participation in urban China

This paper serves to document and analyze the employment and the labor market changes in urban China since the late 1980s. High and sustained GDP growth rates in China have paradoxically been accompanied by increasing unemployment rates and decreasing labor force participation rates. Using national representative micro data, estimations from logit models show that age, education, communist-party membership and marital status are significantly associated with participation in the labor force and employment opportunities, and the impacts of education and party membership have increased over time. An extension of the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition finds little of the observed male–female differentials attributable to differences in characteristics such as age or education but to coefficient effects, a possible reflection of discrimination.     

Women's labor force participation and marriage: The case of Korea

In this paper, we examine the relationship between marital status and female labor force participation in Korea, and argue that marriage remains a major obstacle to young Korean women's employment. We find that an average married woman is much less likely (by 40–60%) to participate in the labor force than a single woman in urban Korea. Further investigation into the participation patterns among married women reveals that labor force participation rate (LFPR) varies with husband's occupation and her own age. Lower LFPR among the young married women is explained by demand-side factors, while relatively higher LFPR among the middle-aged married women is mostly explained by the supply-side factors.     

Dynamic model of childbearing and labor force participation of married women: Empirical evidence from Korea and Japan

The purpose of this study is the empirical investigation of childbirth behavior and labor-force participation of married women in South Korea and Japan. A dynamic discrete choice model is estimated using microdata from household surveys in South Korea and Japan. Estimation results suggest that: (1) only a second child is beneficial and others are not in the case of Korea, although any child is beneficial in the case of Japan; (2) nursing a newborn is considerably costly; (3) without considering an earnings effect, low-earnings jobs are costly in both countries, although high-earnings jobs are beneficial in Japan; and (4) the probability of finding a full-time position for married women after career interruption is estimated as 5–28%.     

Actual experience,potential experience or age,and labor force participation by married women

In this paper, the limitations of potential experience and age as proxies for market experience are discussed. Results from a conditional logit model estimating the probability of participation by married women are sensitive to the measure of experience used in the empirical specification. Married women usually have noncontinuous labor market histories so age and potential experience will fall short of actual experience. Direct information about a woman's labor market history is necessary in empirical studies of the market behavior of married women.     

Divorce and female labor force participation: Evidence from times-series data and cointegration

The divorce rate in the United States has increased over the last 40 years. This increase was accompanied both by growing female labor force participation and rising female income. These changes were accompanied by a significant reduction in the birth rate for married women. This article uses time-series data and cointegration techniques to determine the direction of causality between these variables. Analysis of the impulse functions show that the divorce rate will increase if either female labor force participation or income increases. Positive innovations to the divorce rate increase the labor force participation rate of married women. Rising levels of income lead to greater female participation in the labor market.     

Effects of birth spacing and timing on mothers' labor force participation

Data from the March 1991Current Population Survey [Bureau of the Census, 1992] were used to investigate the effects of children on single and married mothers' labor force participation decisions. Logit results indicated that for both single and married mothers, an increase in education and market experience increases the probability of market participation while an increase in income has a negative effect on the likelihood of mothers' labor market participation. The number of children present in the household negatively affected participation while an increase in the age of children positively influenced the mother's labor market participation. The spacing effect in the married group and the timing effect in the single group were significant. Furthermore, an increase in the number of older children in the household (between the ages of 12 and 17 years) increased the probability of labor market participation by single mothers but decreased that of married mothers.     

The effect of increased labor force participation of married women on the distribution of family income in the Netherlands

Summary In this article we analyse the income equalizing effect of wives' income on the combined income of husband and wife in The Netherlands. We will use the Theil coefficient as a measure of inequality. After some preliminary remarks have been made and relevant data have been presented, the Theil coefficient is decomposed into a number of components. Whereas theory concludes that the effect of wives' income on the distribution of family income should be less equalizing after about 1970, it appears that this does not hold true for the whole period under investigation.The research was carried out in the framework of the project entitled Problems relating to the distribution of social security. The author wishes to thank Professor A. Kapteyn and two anonymous referees for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this paper.     

Black immigrants in the U.S. labor market: An earnings analysis

This article investigates the existence and sources of earnings differentials between black Americans and black immigrants, and between black and nonblack immigrants. Employing the Public Use Sample of the 1980 census, the gross earnings differentials between black immigrants and black Americans are estimated to be 8.7 percent in favor of Americans (i.e., Americans earn 8.7 percent more than immigrants). About 2 percentage points and 6.7 percentage points of the gross differential are, respectively, due to differences in average characteristics and in returns to the characteristics. The gross differential between black and nonblack immigrants is 22.1 percent in favor of nonblack, of which 13.8 percentage points are due to differences in average characteristics and 8.3 are due to differences in returns to characteristics.     

Estimation of the probability of labor force participation of the AFDC population-at-risk

Summary In summary, the functional form makes quite a difference. An investigator should be quite wary of making generalizations based on any single specification or estimation technique. However, the above results have shown in striking fashion the superiority of MLE of the sigmoid specifications over the OLS estimation of the linear probability specification. Although the logistic or urban specification require iterative solution, this is no barrier on a modern digital computer, with appropriate special algorithms. A further advantage of the MLE is the asymptotic normality of the estimates of _i which permits large sample interval estimation, and the iteration method of scoring employed yields directly an estimate of the standard deviation of each normally distributed _i . Also standard tests of significance are now applicable.Perhaps most importantly, the sigmoid specifications are consistent with a probability interpretation since the estimates lie inside the unit interval, and the sigmoid shape is consistent with the assumed unimodal distribution of the participation decision.In conclusion, results reported in previous investigations of the probability of labor force participation or labor force participation rate which have relied on the least squares estimation of a linear probability specification are likely to be unreliable as to he magnitude of the response attributed to changes in explanatory variables.     

Derksen's study of labour force participation of married women in the netherlands: Some comments and a further analysis

Summary Derksen's study, which was published in 1975, is the first multiple regression analysis of Dutch data on the labour force participation of married women. After commenting on the theoretical model used by Derksen, this article has challenged his estimation procedures. It is shown that in the case under consideration weighted least squares is to be preferred to ordinary least squares and logit analysis seems to be an even more appropriate method.All computations were made on the computer of the Academic Computer Centre Utrecht. The author is indebted to L. Hammiriga and A. Kapteyn for valuable comments.     

Job characteristics and the labor force participation behavior of black and white male youth

Previous work regarding the labor force participation of black and white youth has ignored the fact that they may face jobs with different characteristics, such as socioeconomic status or degree of danger. This article examines the effects that such characteristics have on the probability of participation for a sample of black and white males from the National Longitudinal Survey Youth Cohort. The results suggest that some job characteristics have a significant impact on participation, particularly socioeconomic status. The estimates presented here suggest, however, that racial differences in socioeconomic status probably explain only a small portion of the black-white male youth participation rate differential.     

An analysis of the determinants of labour force participation and unemployment in South Africa's North-West province

This article uses a probit model to estimate the determinants of labour force participation and unemployment in South Africa's North-West province. Data from three surveys are used, namely the 1993 Saldru survey, the 1995 CSS (now Statistics SA) survey and a survey conducted in 1997 by the authors. It finds that gender, location (rural or urban), education level, and family structure and relations are significant determinants of unemployment in the province. Because the North-West is a rural province, the results are indicative of the unemployment challenges in South Africa's rural areas. Thus, unless job creation initiatives have a specific rural and gender (female) bias, rural unemployment in South Africa may not be significantly reduced.