Infrastructure Development and Female Labor Force Participation in Pakistan

Abstract

Abstract This article examines the impacts of infrastructure development on female labor force participation in the case of Pakistan. The study employed 19 indicators of infrastructure development, which four indices through principal component analysis (PCA); namely, transportation index (TI), Telecommunication Index (TCI), Public motor vehicle index (PMVI) and Overall index (OI). The estimation is based on ARDL-Bound testing cointegration approach and the rolling window analysis, using annual time series data from 1985 to 2018. The estimated results show that all the infrastructure indices positively and significantly impact the female labour force participation rate. The road length has the largest positive impact on female participation; a one per cent increase in road length increases the female participation rate by 0.65%. Jel Classifications: C38; C82; E24; F62; H54; J21;O18; O11