Economic Development And Female Employment In China

As a sensitive economic indicator,female employment has long been concerned by economists across the world.While women's labor force participation tends to related with economic development,the relationship is not straight forward.There are considerably more uncertainties in labor force participation of women than that of men.On one hand,women's participation in labor force is somewhat hindered by their fertility and traditional social norms,therefore education,marriage,economic conditions or population policy could influence women's decision to take part in the labor force market.On the other hand,the adjustment of industry structure and the development of tertiary industry also provide opportunities and suitable jobs for women.Female labor force has become an indispensable part of the labor market and the potential capacity when needed.Hence female employment is not only a social benchmark of their status in society,but also an interesting economic index.This paper is intended to investigate the characteristics and issues of female employment during economic development in China through theoretical analysis and empirical analysis,based on the achievements of former scholars.The U-shaped relationship between economic development and women's labor force participation rate has been widely examined by economists.In its basic form,the development of industrial structure is the core impetus for the change of female labor force participation.The U-shaped hypothesis posits that female participation rates are highest in poor countries where economy was dominated by agriculture;women are usually engaged in subsistence activities as men.The participation rate starts to fall in middle-income countries because industry has relatively high physical requirements for workers,women leave the labor market voluntarily or unwillingly,so fewer women than men are transited to industrial jobs.As tertiary industry blooms,education levels improve and fertility rates fall,women are able to join the labor force.Mass production of machinery brought by industrialization and the knowledge economy made mental work more valuable than physical work in most jobs,hence increases the demand for women's labor,female labor force participation rate begin to rise with economic development.From the view of the whole world,female labor force participation rate was higher in the most developed countries in Northern Europe and the poorest countries in Africa.Besides,religious beliefs and social system also have an influence on female labor participation.This paper also provides econometric estimates of relationship between female labor force participation and the level of economic development in 1990-2014.The estimates validate the U-shaped hypothesis in China.But unlike other countries,the high labor force participant rate from 1990 is a result of command economy when government allocated jobs to workers,rather than the dominance of agriculture.The decline of female labor force participation over the twenty years was a result of the freedom for job selection under market economy and the booming enrollment rate of secondary school.Under market economy,women are less likely to find a job than men and are more likely to leave the labor market,while young generation delay their attendance.Recent years,female labor force participation rate is rising again after the fall,due to the development of industrial structure;the tertiary sector plays an increasingly important role in the gross domestic product.Despite high female labor force participation rate in China,women's employment is still arguable.Sex discrimination against female workers is common,including explicit discrimination like male preference and implicit once such as unequal pay for equal jobs,gender gap in wages are mostly caused by sex discrimination.What's more,education is an important formation of human capital,less education and among female can reduce their productivity,thus increase wage disparities.Female employment also has huge spillover benefits for society.Eliminating workplace discrimination against women increases productivity of the whole society,increasing women's income leads to higher consumption spending,thus promote economic growth.What's more,women are more engaged in the investment of health and education in a family.There is a need to create a fair environment for female in the labor market through different sectors.Enterprises are aiming to maximize their own profit,thus hiring less female employees is a way to lower their costs.Government should take the responsibilities of compensation of childbirth and to ease the burden of enterprises.Policymakers should be concerned policies to clarify the boundary of sex discrimination.Particular emphasis is needed on keeping girls at different age and areas in school and ensuring that they receive a good quality education,beyond junior secondary level,and are able to take advantage of training opportunities.That will increase their chances of overcoming other barriers to finding decent employment.