Arab spring protests and women's labor market outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian revolution

Nelly El-Mallakh, Mathilde Maurel and Biagio Speciale
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Nelly Elmallakh ()

Journal of Comparative Economics, 2018, vol. 46, issue 2, 656-682

Abstract: We analyze the effects of the 2011 Egyptian protests on the relative labor market conditions of women using panel data from the Egypt Labor Market Panel Survey (ELMPS). Using unique information from the Statistical Database of the Egyptian Revolution, we geocode each “martyr”, i.e. demonstrators who died during the protests, based on the location of the political incident. We construct our measure of the intensity of the protests – the district-level number of “martyrs” – and rely on a Difference-in-Differences approach. We find that the 2011 protests have reduced intra-household differences in labor force participation by increasing women's employment and unemployment relative to men. Women's employment relative to men increased in both the private and informal sectors. Our estimates suggest how economic uncertainty such as the one associated to the recent protests may undermine the importance of cultural factors and attitudes towards female work. We link these findings to the literature showing how a relevant shock to the labor division between women and men may have long run consequences on the role of women in society.

Keywords: Egyptian protests; Women's labor market outcomes; “Martyrs” (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J21 J22 J30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (17)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Arab spring protests and women's labor market outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian revolution (2018)
Working Paper: Arab spring protests and women's labor market outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian revolution (2018)
Working Paper: Arab spring protests and women's labor market outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian revolution (2018)
Working Paper: Arab Spring Protests and Women's Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian Revolution (2016)
Working Paper: Arab Spring Protests and Women's Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian Revolution (2016)
Working Paper: Arab Spring Protests and Women’s Labor Market Outcomes: Evidence from the Egyptian Revolution (2015)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jcecon:v:46:y:2018:i:2:p:656-682

DOI: 10.1016/j.jce.2017.12.004

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