Volume 3, Number 1


 

Female economic activity in Rural Malawi
Hyder, A. and Behrman, J.R.

This study investigates economic activities and their determinants for women in households of rural Malawi, one of the poorest countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Three waves of household panel data for years 2006, 2008 and 2010 from the Malawi Longitudinal Study of Families and Health (MLSFH) are used to examine female labour market participation. This study includes relevant characteristics of Malawian households i.e., polygamy, ethnicity, religion and self- reported health status. The study reports five different labour market outcomes for women’s par- ticipation i.e., agriculture related work, market &sales activities, cottage industry, other economic activities out of the labour market. The study finds significant relationships between these five different labour market outcomes and age cohorts, ethnicity and marital status (monogamous or polygamous).

Keywords: Gender; Labour Force Participation; Sub-Saharan Africa; Area Studies; Multinomial Logit for Panel Data; Poorest Society.