Ethnic differences in womens labour market participation over the life course

1
Ethnic differences in womens labour market
participation over the life course

• Angela Dale and Sameera Ahmed
• University of Manchester

I am grateful to the Leverhulme Trust for funding
this research
2
Womens economic activity

• Life-stage and level of qualifications have a big
  impact on womens employment
• Work started by the Women and Employment Survey
  in 1980
• continued with work on cohort studies (Joshi,
  Dex)
• Recent decades have seen increasing levels of
  employment amongst women with dependent children
• associated with greater freedom to choose /better
  child-care/ greater equality/ individualisation
• but also with concerns about the double-shift
  etc.
• I want to explore differences between ethnic
  groups, with a particular focus on Pakistani and
  Bangladeshi women and how we understand their
  choices and constraints

3
Data definitions

• Labour Force Survey for 1992-2003/5
• Women aged 19-60 FT students excluded
• Economic activity in work ILO unemployed
• Focus on Pakistani and Bangladeshi women but also
  some information on White, Black Caribbean,
  Indian and Chinese women

4
Interviews with UK born Pakistani and Bangladeshi
women

• Interviews with 18 UK-born Pakistani and
  Bangladeshi women in Rochdale and Manchester
• Earlier interviews in Oldham, 43 Pakistani and
  Bangladeshi women, all ages
• Asked about employment aspirations and barriers
  to employment

5
Level of economic activity, women aged 19-60,
2001-5
6
Women with a child under 16 in the household may
be of any age from 19-60.
7
Level of economic activity, women 19-34, no
partner, no children (1)
8
Economic activity, women aged 19-34, no child, no
partner, 1992-2005
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What does paid work mean?

• Focus on Pakistani and Bangladeshi women

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Role of paid work

• .. I suppose its all to do with security, with
  me because when you get married pay for your
  wedding, you have to build your life, get a house
  basically all them things. Thats what working
  is for, I guess. I suppose for your head as well,
  itll be good its good to sort of work,
  socialise with others Yeah youll go crazy if
  youre sat at home five days a week. Pakistani
  graduate, 22, single

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paid work was not always the default option

• 'men dont have to think about what work means
  to them so seriously, they just do it, its what
  they are supposed to do. Women think about work
  quite a lot and they have to prove themselves to
  be able to work outside, prove themselves to
  their family and everyone, that they are capable
  of working ...' (Pakistani woman, aged 20,
  single)

12
Level of economic activity, women with partner
and child lt5
13

• Modelling work using data from 1992-2005 suggests
  that there was a post-1997 increase in economic
  activity for white and Black Caribbean women
• after controlling for qualifications, regional
  unemployment etc.
• But this was not present for Pakistani and
  Bangladeshi women
• Increase economic activity explained by increased
  qualifications, more younger women UK-born

14
Economic activity, women with partner and
youngest child lt5, 1992-2005
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How do we explain this?

• Role of qualifications
• Whether UK-born/educated
• Cultural constraints/ husband/ family-related
  preferences
• Or whether husband UK-born?
• Labour market barriers/ discrimination
• Lack of jobs in local labour market
• Own choice

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women wanted to work but it was not seen as
necessary

• Overall I thinkits not really important
  its not like I have to work. Its just that I
  want to. Its one of those things that Ive
  always wanted to do. I never wanted to work
  full-time in the first place, just part-time
  work. I think it boosts my confidence.
• Pakistani, 28, NVQ2, married with two children

17
Role of qualifications

• Statistical analysis shows higher qualifications
  have powerful effect on level of economic
  activity
• UK-born younger women increasingly getting
  degree-level qualifications, but
• 2001-5 degree-level no quals
• White 26 18
• Pakistani 12 43
• Bangladeshi 8 54
• LFS, women 19-60, excl. FT students

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Barriers to gaining qualifications

• Several UK-born women were taking English classes
  
• had spent several years in Pakistani and wanted
  to increase confidence in English
• Education was often interrupted by marriage
• For some, college was very daunting
• Ive never been to college so its really scary
  just to step into a college, its a really big
  thing for me. (Pakistani, 32, 4 children)

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Barriers to gaining qualifications

• left school at 14, no qualifications
• What they did was take me out of school and I
  went to Pakistan, and I got married at 16
• I really wanted to study, go to college, have
  education, have a job, Ive never had that. Ive
  just been with kids all my life. Now I want to do
  something with my life.
• Ive always wanted to be a teacher since I was
  small, so Im hoping to go for it now. My
  husbands supporting me, he goes Go for it!
• Now learning to drive plans to study for GCSEs
• (Pakistani woman, 32, married, four children)

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Being UK-born/brought up

• We may expect women who were educated in the UK
  to have no language barriers and more familiarity
  with labour market, more social networks,
  recognised qualifications .
• but education may be interrupted
• economic activity remains low especially for
  women with no qualifications

21
Economic activity, women with partner, childlt5,
comparing UK born (came before 16) with overseas
born (came 16), 1992-2005
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Role of family

• Just that family is important to Asians. It is
  the most important thing , family, nothing takes
  priority over it, people will die for their
  family here and they will do everything for
  themYou have to think of them first and then
  yourself
• (Bangladeshi, single, aged 21)

23
Parental roles

• Lack of parental pressure meant women could wait
  to get the right job
• I went for 3 weeks without benefit and then I
  got the job luckily
• Were you finding it hard to manage in this time?
• No I wasnt. I was just given money by my mum and
  brothers and sisters and I got by.I live with
  them, so I had no bills to pay, or rent to pay at
  all (Bangladeshi, single, 21 year old )
• Some parents with poor health expected daughters
  to provide care
• They said Dont go too far, stay close and in
  a way, my mum like, when I started the course
  and things are going good for me, Ive got a
  placement here and everything, she says You
  know, you can pack it in, if you like, you can
  just stay at home, you know, help me out. I was
  just thinking I do helpI do help my mum out a
  lot but I want to get out the house, go explore
  the world, see stuff.
• 17-year old, Pakistani, single, doing a
  Modern apprenticeship

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Role of marriage and husband

• Statistical analysis shows having a partner has a
  significant negative effect on economic activity
  (controlling for children, qualifications,
  UK-born)
• Positive effect for white and Black Caribbean
  women
• Is this explained by husband's levels of
  unemployment?
• By marriage to men from overseas?
• Over 50 P B women have partner who came to UK
  at 18

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Role of husband

• Many respondents said husbands were very
  supportive encouraged them working
• he goes to work at 8.00 so I wake up with him,
  make his breakfast, pack his roti and then send
  him off to work then he picks me up from work at
  5 and then we come home together I make his roti
  so hes happy and Im happy.
• 28-year old Pakistani, married, no children, GNVQ

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Overseas born husbands

• UK-born women generally felt a partner from
  back-home would be more traditional, would want
  them to stay at home, care for family, not go out
  to work
• Concerned men would not adjust to UK life
• Wanted own children to marry in the UK

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Views on overseas-born husbands

• Well, my younger sister, sheshe actually
  doesnt work her husbands like a bit strict
  he doesnt really want her to work orit depends
  on the husband because theyre from back home,
  they think differently. (interview 2)
• I think a lot of the girls that get married from
  back home, their husbands would like them to sit
  at home and have the family the children ...
  They want a wife that wears a hijab and not step
  foot out the house (interview 7).

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both respondents husbands were born overseas

• My husband, hes alright hes quite good. I
  mean, hes my best friend as well I can talk to
  him about anything and I can tell him I want to
  work and he wont mind if I study (interview
  2)
• Ive always had loads of encouragement from my
  family. My husband, too, hes been brilliant, he
  has never stopped me doing anything. (interview
  7)

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Role of husband statistical analysis

• Effect on womens economic activity
• No additional negative effect of having a husband
  who came to the UK at 18, by comparison with
  UK-born husband
• Husband working no significant effect
• Husband not-working significant negative effect

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Combining work and child-care

• LFS shows that children have very big negative
  effect on womens economic activity
• Interviews suggested many women were committed to
  being at home for their children and wanted to
  provide care themselves
• Preferred family child-care to formal care
• but may be less reliable

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Combining work and child-care

• Need for work that is near home
• What would you look for?
• Some sort of prospects, somewhere to go, good
  money, opportunity more than anything.
  Convenience also work around my daughter.
  Everything has to be around her timing, so can
  I be back in 5 minutes. The next job is in
  Haywood which is another 15 minutes away Im
  not too happy about that. (23, Pakistani,
  daughter 3)

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Finding the right job

• Lack of experience cited by many women
• Lack of knowledge about how the labour market
  works
• availability of jobs and training schemes
• guidance on how to apply for jobs
• confidence about procedures once in employment

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Interview experiences

• I just felt so out of place, coz they were all
  English and they were all posh, and they were all
  like, their hair- they had their hair done first
  thing in the morning. Bangladeshi, 30, married, 2
  children, who wore a hijab with western clothes.
• as soon as I walk into an interview the first
  thing is that when they look at you, first of all
  its the colour of your skin, then its what
  youre dressed like (Pakistani woman, 28,
  married, no children)

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Barriers in the work-place

• Work-place cultural assumptions often centred
  around the white majority
• hard for women from a different cultural
  background to feel comfortable and to fit-in
• employers needed a better understanding of
  religious or cultural needs
• eg replacing tea-breaks with prayer breaks
• Family weddings, funerals posed some problems
• Wearing hijab or veil was seen as major barrier

35
Key ethnic differences

• Black Caribbean women
• Good motherhood involves doing paid work (Duncan
  and Edwards)
• High levels of economic activity combined with
  children
• Pakistani and Bangladeshi women
• Good motherhood involves being at home and
  providing child-care
• Qualifications has big positive effect for all
  groups
• but least for Black Caribbean women and most for
  Pakistani and Bangladeshi women
• Dependent children have big negative effect
• but least for Black Caribbean women and most for
  Pakistani and Bangladeshi women

36
Pakistani and Bangladeshi women

• Great diversity in terms of constraints
• But clearly many women not having access to the
  education they might want
• Family-centred values very strong amongst all
  women may often conflict with work-place
  expectations
• Work-place often seen as hostile /culturally
  alien
• Education a key to greater freedom and choice

37
Publications

• Sameera Ahmed and Angela Dale (2008) Pakistani
  and Bangladeshi Womens Labour Market
  Participation, CCSR Working Paper 2008-01.
• Dale, A., Lindley, J. and Dex, S. (2006) A
  life-course perspective on ethnic differences in
  womens economic activity in Britain, European
  Sociological Review, vol 22, no. 4 459-476,
  downloadable from http//esr.oxfordjournals.org/c
  ontent/vol22/issue4/index.dtl
• Dale, A. J. Lindley, S. Dex, A. Rafferty
  (forthcoming) Ethnic differences in womens
  labour market activity, in Women and Employment
  Changing Lives and New Challenges, edited by
  Jacqueline Scott, Shirley Dex, and Heather Joshi,
  Oxford University Press
• Dale, A, Shaheen, N, Kalra, V and Fieldhouse, E.
  (2002). The Labour Market Prospects for Pakistani
  and Bangladeshi Women. Work, Employment and
  Society, Vol 16(1), 5-25.