Egyptian men working abroad: Labour supply responses by the women left behind

Christine Binzel and Ragui Assaad ()

Labour Economics, 2011, vol. 18, issue S1, S98-S114

Abstract: Female labour force participation has remained low in Egypt. This paper examines whether male international migration provides a leeway for women to enter the labour market and/or to increase their labour supply. In line with previous studies, we find a decrease in wage work particularly in 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 labour supply response is driven by the household's need to replace the migrant's labour rather than by a loosening of a financing constraint on family enterprises made possible by the flow of remittances.

Keywords: Migration; Remittances; Labour supply; Gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: F22 J22 R23 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (93)

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Working Paper: Egyptian Men Working Abroad: Labor Supply Responses by the Women Left Behind (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:labeco:v:18:y:2011:i:s1:p:s98-s114

DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2011.03.002

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