Biography
Prof. Zahra Mila Elmi
Prof. Zahra Mila Elmi
University of Mazandaran, Iran
Title: The Determinants of Female Labor Force Participation in Iranian Rural Areas: An Inter-provincial Study
Abstract: 

Almost half of the population and potential manpower in the country and rural areas are women. Manpower especially educated people plays an important role in the production and economic growth. Also, the potential of rural areas to create employment should not be overlooked. In this research, we study the effects of socio-economic and demographic factors on women's economic participation in rural areas of Iran's provinces.

Therefore, this study was performed by using the results of the rural households income and expenditure survey -has been taken in 2016- in the framework of panel data. We used the logit model and the maximum likelihood method to study the rural women's participation, with 28,265 observations. Results show the inverted U-shaped relationship between age and the probability of female participation; In other words, young women are more likely to participate in labor markets more than the other groups. Divorced and single woman has more chance of participation in comparison with who was being married. With increasing the divorce rate and singleness in Iran, economic policymakers must provide appropriate solutions for this challenge in the coming years. We found that women studying and the presence of an infant under the age of 6 in the household has a negative effect on the possibility of women's participation in the labor market. The square of women education level has a U-shaped relationship with their participation rate. Illiteracy and high education have a more positive effect on the economic participation of rural women. This shows the dual labor market for women in Iran. Illiterate women are attracted to service jobs, and educated woman are more attracted to education and health jobs. Increasing household income has a small but positive and significant effect on probability of rural female participation. In the overlook, due to the frequency of the women population in the age group of 25 to 35 years, and more willingness of women in the age 35 to 44 years to participate in the  labor market, and studying of a significant portion of the rural women, the increase of rural female participation is expected in the years ahead. Thus, it is expected policy maker to create new job opportunities for the employment of educated women and take the necessary plan to improve the current situation for women.

 

Keywords: Economic Participation, Rural Female Employment, Provincial Data, Pseudo-Panel Data Method

Biography: 

-Ph.D. of Economics from Tehran University(2002)

-Professor in University of Mazandaran

-Teaching Microeconomics and Econometrics for Bachelor, MA and Ph.D. students.

-Writing more than 85 paper in Persian and English. -Writing more than 50 conference paper in national and international conference.

-supervisor and advisor about 120 postgraduate and Ph.D. students

-My interest issues are Economic Growth, female labor Market, Educational attainment,  poverty, Gender issue specially in MENA regions.