The Modern-Day Female Labor Force Function: An Analysis of the Robustness of the U-Shaped Female Labor Force Function

• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Boston College
• Subjects: Development Economics; Female Labor Force Participation; Inequality of Opportunity; U-Shaped FLFP
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/bc-ir:108500

Thesis advisor: Christopher Maxwell === Thesis advisor: === The questions that this paper intends to answer are: 1) Is there a U-shaped relationship between the female labor force participation (FLFP) rate and development in the present day? And 2) If we group countries geographically, will we see the U-shaped function outlined as development occurs over time? The U-shaped function is important because it allows us to predict the direction that the FLFP rate will move, dependent on a country's level of development. This prediction is crucial because there are endless gains of increased FLFP to both women and to society at large. Previous research has shown that in a snapshot in time (1985), there was evidence of the U-shaped function. However, there has been little research on how the function has played out throughout the past 30+ years. This paper finds that the U- shaped function remains robust to present day data. However, grouping countries geographically does not always produce results that support movement along the U-shaped function. Having a clearer understanding of the trends that FLFP follows through development will allow us to more successfully monitor and create policy to help women and society at large reap the benefits of increased women in the workforce. === Thesis (BA) — Boston College, . === Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. === Discipline: Departmental Honors. === Discipline: Economics.