Publication:
For Labor or for Divorce?: Unilateral Divorce Laws and Women’s Labor Outcomes

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dc.contributor.authorEl Mekkaoui, Najat
dc.contributor.authorLoukili, Sara
dc.contributor.authorFourouheshfar, Yeganeh
dc.contributor.authorEissa, Nada
dc.date.accessioned2024-01-16T16:18:00Z
dc.date.available2024-01-16T16:18:00Z
dc.date.issued2024-01-16
dc.description.abstractDespite substantial progress in closing the gender gap, women’s labor force participation in the Middle East and North Africa remains one of the lowest globally, at a mere 18 percent. This paper investigates the effect of the introduction of unilateral divorce laws on women’s labor outcomes, using data from the Demographic and Health Survey program that spans decades and a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences design in three countries: Morocco, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and Jordan. The results highlight that no-fault divorce legislation was associated with a modest increase in mothers’ labor outcomes, measured by current employment, a few years after the reform. These findings are likely induced by a power shift and anticipatory effects that drive women into the labor force. However, when a longer time window is considered, 10 or more years after the reform, the study documents a negative effect of the reform on women’s labor outcomes in Morocco, and a positive effect in the Arab Republic of Egypt and Jordan. These differences can be attributed to a set of countervailing effects, including social norms, labor market dynamics, and evolution of the legislation, that make the derived utility from marriage, in some cases, more attractive than that derived from employment, and vice versa. These findings partially confirm results from previous research on the relationship between no-fault divorce and women’s agency and empowerment in the Middle East and North Africa region, but, at the same time, contrast with prominent perspectives on legislation that aims at reducing gender-based discrimination. Instead, they show that there might be undesired effects of legislation and provide a policy relevant discussion on that basis.en
dc.identifierhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099652201092435820/IDU1007f1e40136dc14d5618ed3139e211ed42d7
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-10661
dc.identifier.urihttps://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/40890
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherWorld Bank, Washington, DC
dc.relation.ispartofseriesPolicy Research Working Papers; 10661
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/
dc.subjectUNILATERAL DIVORCE
dc.subjectWOMEN'S LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
dc.subjectMOTHERS LABOR FORCE PARTICIPATION
dc.subjectINTRA-HOUSEHOLD BARGAINING
dc.subjectDEMOGRAPHIC AND HEALTH SURVEY
dc.subjectDIVORCE
dc.subjectWOMEN'S AGENCY
dc.titleFor Labor or for Divorce?en
dc.title.subtitleUnilateral Divorce Laws and Women’s Labor Outcomesen
dc.typeWorking Paper
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.crossref.titleFor Labor or for Divorce?: Unilateral Divorce Laws and Women’s Labor Outcomes
okr.date.disclosure2024-01-09
okr.date.lastmodified2024-01-10T00:00:00Zen
okr.doctypePolicy Research Working Paper
okr.doctypePublications & Research
okr.docurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099652201092435820/IDU1007f1e40136dc14d5618ed3139e211ed42d7
okr.guid099652201092435820
okr.identifier.docmidIDU-007f1e40-36dc-4d56-8ed3-39e211ed42d7
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/1813-9450-10661
okr.identifier.doihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1596/1813-9450-10661
okr.identifier.externaldocumentum34234826
okr.identifier.internaldocumentum34234826
okr.identifier.reportWPS10661
okr.import.id2871
okr.importedtrueen
okr.language.supporteden
okr.pdfurlhttp://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/099652201092435820/pdf/IDU1007f1e40136dc14d5618ed3139e211ed42d7.pdfen
okr.region.administrativeMiddle East and North Africa
okr.region.countryEgypt, Arab Republic of
okr.region.countryJordan
okr.region.countryMorocco
okr.topicGender::Gender and Economic Policy
okr.topicLaw and Development::Labor & Employment Law
okr.topicSocial Protections and Labor::Labor Markets
okr.topicGender::Gender and Social Policy
okr.unitOffice of the Chief Economist (MNACE)
relation.isSeriesOfPublication26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
relation.isSeriesOfPublication.latestForDiscovery26e071dc-b0bf-409c-b982-df2970295c87
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