Religion and labour force participation in Nigeria: is there any inequality among women?

Abstract

This paper provides answers to the question on the effects of religion on female labour force participation in Nigeria, using trend analysis from three Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) and secondary data. The study reveals that female labour force participation in Nigeria increased from 39.3% in 1990 to 48.1% in 2011. The logistic models established that religion has a positive significant effect on female labour force participation indicators (P<0.0001). The relationship between working at home and Islam remains significant in all the three data sets (P<0.001) while it creates mixed reactions in all other religious groups. Engaging in unpaid work was significant with other Christian and Muslim women in all the three data sets even with the adjusted models except in 2013 alone for Catholic women. We conclude that increase in female labour force participation will emancipate women from the trap of poverty and give them a voice in decision making in Nigeria.

Keywords: Inequality, women. Muslims, Education. Labour force