Family Rules, Employment, Fertility and Women’s Empowerment: Evidence from a Developing Country

Safdar Ullah Khan, Arthur H. Goldsmith, Gulasekaran Rajaguru and Ahmad M Khalid
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Safdar Ullah Khan: Bond Business School, Bond University, Australia
Arthur H. Goldsmith: The Williams School of Commerce, Economics and Politics, Washington and Lee University, US
Gulasekaran Rajaguru: Bond Business School, Bond University, Australia
Ahmad M Khalid: School of Business and Economics, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Gadong, Brunei Darussalam

Journal of Economic Analysis, 2024, vol. 3, issue 4, 186-221

Abstract: This research investigates the determinants of women's empowerment within households in a developing country. The investigation specifically focuses on the impact of employment and fertility, considering constraints imposed by family rules that play a pivotal role in shaping women's empowerment. The theoretical framework outlined in this study posits a simplistic model demonstrating that, within the prevailing family structure and household composition, earned income and fertility may bear significant relevance. Utilizing data extracted from the Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement Survey, we engage in estimating the level of female empowerment, operationalized as the extent of female authority over household expenditures. Notably, our empirical approach accounts for the endogeneity of employment and fertility through a two-stage estimation process. This involves leveraging information on family rules—representative of a family's cultural norms—pertaining to work and childbearing. Our empirical findings affirm the viability of family-specific rules as instruments to estimate and subsequently predict employment and fertility. Importantly, the evidence gleaned underscores the critical role of selecting valid threat options in theoretical analyses of women's empowerment.

Keywords: Household Decision Making; Family Rules; employment; fertility; Women’s empowerment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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