Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/229423 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
WIDER Working Paper No. 2021/22
Publisher: 
The United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER), Helsinki
Abstract: 
We study socioeconomic indicators of female labour force participation in off-farm formal employment in a subsistence agriculture setting in northern Ghana, where a new commercial farm provides a positive demand shock for low-skilled labour. We use a set of quantitative and qualitative data examining determinants of female labour force participation, the social effects arising from it, and the influence on female decision-making power in their households. In line with other micro-studies, we find that education is not a driver of female labour participation in low-skilled jobs. Women from wealthier households and those with young children have a significantly lower probability of starting off-farm work. Polygamy and male dominance reduce women's labour force participation. Women who earn off-farm income are strengthened in their intra-household decision-making position and can spend more money on themselves.
Subjects: 
female labour participation
Ghana
intra-household decision-making
off-farm work
polygamy
JEL: 
I31
J10
J20
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
ISBN: 
978-92-9256-956-3
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-sa Logo
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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