The labor force participation of Indian women before and after widowhood

Abstract

BACKGROUND Due to its young age structure and taboos on widow remarriage, India has a large and relatively young female widow population. Many of India's widows are in prime working ages. India has one of the lowest female labor force participation rates in the world. OBJECTIVE This paper calculates the effect of widowhood on the labor force participation of Indian widows. The analysis documents how labor force participation changes associated with widowhood vary by age, caste/religion, relation to head of household, rural/urban status, and region. METHODS Using the India Human Development Survey (IHDS), the analysis tracks 3,217 women who experience the loss of their spouse between the two survey waves. Individual fixed effects regressions are used to measure the association between the transition to widowhood and changes in the number of days worked in the past year. RESULTS Widowhood was associated with a decrease in days worked for older women; but for women widowed before age 52, widowhood was associated with a large increase in the number of days they worked. Widows who joined the labor force were more likely to gain employment in permanent and salaried work than married women. Widows who resided with their in-laws or who became the household head after their husband's death saw increases in their work participation whereas those who lived in households headed by their adult children experienced negative widowhood effects on their work participation. CONTRIBUTION These findings highlight the important link between marital status and female employment in India.

Widows’ self-help groups in North India: a tool for financial and social improvement

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“…Taking up formal, structured employment can be difficult for widows, due to pressures to conform to strict social seclusion after the death of their husband. 20 Sampan's livelihood programs provided widows an opportunity to engage in the local economy, primarily through sales of the produce from the seeds they were provided. This facilitated the widows forming livelihoods and developed a sense of connection and engagement with their community.…”

The economic circumstances of widows in Vietnam

“…Thus, the labour participation of women is significantly affected by widowhood. [ 28 ] studies the impact of widowhood on Indian women’s labour force participation using panel data that tracks women before and after the event of widowhood. The results confirm a strong age pattern, where women widowed before the age of 52 saw an increase in the number of days worked, while women widowed after the age of 52 saw a reduction.…”

“…Our literature review indicates that selected social and economic aspects, such as the wealth and welfare of widows, have been investigated in developed countries [ 25 , 27 , 28 ]. In addition, efforts have been made to propose several solutions to mitigate poverty after widowhood [ 23 , 25 , 29 ].…”

Introduction. “Learning to Learn from Below”: Understanding Subalternity

“…India has one of the lowest female labor participations in the world. Only a quarter of India's women are in the labor force (Reed 2020) with variations according to regional states, religion, caste, social class, and other intersecting factors. Marriage and familial practices are seen as major reasons for this abysmal situation.…”