Famale participation in the labour market of Botswana: Results from the 2005/06 labour force survey data

Abstract

This is an empirical paper that looks at the major determinants of labour market participation of females in Botswana using the 2005/06 Labour Force Survey(LFS) data, probit and logit models. Results show that education increases females‟ chances of participating in the labour market. Marriage impacts negatively on female labour force participation. Moreover, females who live in urban areas are more likely to participate in the labour market than those who live in rural areas and females who are household heads are more likely to participate in the labour market than those who are not. The results also showed that females prefer to work in a private sector than working in the other sectors. Policy implications are that efforts to address the problem of females‟ access to the labour market should focus on improving their access to education. The government should continue developing rural areas and create more employment opportunities.

Key words: Labour market, gender in the labour market, labour force participation.