Egyptian Men Working Abroad: Labor Supply Responses by the Women Left Behind

Christine Binzel and Ragui Assaad ()

No 5589, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Female labor force participation has remained low in Egypt. This paper examines whether male international migration provides a leeway for women to enter the labor market and/or to increase their labor supply. In line with previous studies, we find a decrease in wage work in both rural and urban areas. However, women living in rural areas and affected by migration are much more likely to be employed in non-wage activities (i.e. unpaid family work) and subsistence work compared to women in non-migrant households. Furthermore, we find evidence that this labor supply response is driven by the household’s need to replace the migrant's labor rather than by a loosening of a financing constraint on family enterprises made possible by the flow of remittances.

Keywords: labor supply; remittances; migration; gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J22 O15 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 39 pages
Date: 2011-03
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ara, nep-lab and nep-mig
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (91)

Published - revised version published in: Labour Economics, 2011, 18 (S1), S98-S114

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Journal Article: Egyptian men working abroad: Labour supply responses by the women left behind (2011)
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