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The Rise in Women’s Labor-Force Participation in Mexico—Supply vs. Demand Factors

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: This study estimates the relative importance of alternative supply and demand mechanisms in explaining the rise of female labor-force participation (FLFP) over the last 55 years in Mexico. The growth of FLFP in Mexico between 1960 and 2015 followed an S-shaped, with a considerable acceleration during the 1990s. Using descriptive decomposition methods and a shift-share design, the study shows that, put together, supply and demand factors can account for most of the rise of FLFP over the entire period, led by increases in women’s education, declining fertility, and shifts in the occupational structure of the workforce. However, there is unexplained variation in the 1990s, when FLFP spiked.

Source: The World Bank Economic Review

DOI: 10.1093/wber/lhad025

Authors: Sonia Bhalotra, Manuel Fernández

Language: English

Topic: Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics

Subfield: Gender Studies

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, Gender equality

Open Access status: green

Funders: University of Essex, United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research, Economic and Social Research Council

OpenAlex ID: W4386512344