Factors Conditioning Female Labor Force Participation

Studies of female labor force participation have so far primarily focused on supply side factors, i.e. factors that may support or impede women’s “free choice” to participate – or not. Factors supporting female labor force participation have been identified as e.g. women’s wages (relative to men), as it is expected that the higher the wages the higher the utility of paid employment. Factors impeding female labor force participation have been identified as lack of child/elder care institutions, the qualifications of women (calling for re-education and lifelong learning) etc.

What has been under researched is the impact of (1) demand side and (2) cultural factors on decision making of women. Demand side factors refer to the local production system; e.g. traditional male dominated manufacturing in a given locality may leave very little room for female employment opportunities. As to culture, it should be rather obvious that women are most probably not dispositioned to make use of public care institutions in as much as the cultural system inclines agents to support the idea that good mothers should take care of their children themselves.

The aim of this paper is to contribute to a better, more comprehensive understanding of the factors which explain variations in female labor force participation in different European localities. The major research question thus becomes: how has the interplay between supply side, demand side and cultural factors structured the level and character of female employment in different European localities?

The paper draws on comprehensive register data as well as survey data collected for the purpose of this study. Data are analyzed by means of quantitative methods.