Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324350 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 17952
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Women's educational attainment has continuously increased across the Middle East, while fertility rates have declined substantially. Yet their labor force participation remains stubbornly low. To investigate this puzzle, I use a discrete choice experiment in Egypt that varies the gender composition of the work environment–a key but underexplored dimension. I find that men, who have final say over women's work decisions, demand 77% higher wages for their wives if the job is in a mixed-gender setting. Since few workplaces are all-female and men can veto women's employment, these findings help explain the persistently low female participation rate.
Subjects: 
Middle East and North Africa
preferences toward job attributes
labor supply
JEL: 
J21
J29
J49
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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