Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/265739 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15518
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
This paper examines the impact of manufacturing employment on women's health and decision-making power within households in Lesotho. Under the US African Growth and Opportunity Act of 2000, the employment of women in ready-made garment (RMG) factories in new industrial zones greatly increased. Subsequent shocks to international demand for textile products created by the phase-out of the Multi-Fiber Agreement and the 2008 Financial Crisis temporarily reduced well-paid RMG work opportunities. Women residing closer to the industrial zones were particularly affected. These changes are exploited for identification of causal impacts. Employment in the RMG sector is found to substantially increase women's say in decisions about the allocation of household resources and own health.
Subjects: 
Lesotho
manufacturing
trade
Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA)
Demographic and Health Surveys
IPUMS census
World Bank Enterprise Surveys
Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS)
female labour supply
contraceptives
fertility
autonomy
JEL: 
J13
J12
P0
P13
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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