Women’s employment fluctuations in Iran and its deviations from the world trends

Hossein Ghodrati, Hakim Sabzevari University, Iran
Shafieh Ghodrati, University of Tehran

This study investigates women’s employment trends in Iran between 1956 and 2006. Data from six censuses has been analyzed using decomposition technique of mathematical demography. Results show that in spite of some changes in women’s participation in labor force, the employment rate is still very low. Another feature of women’s participation in labor force is transformations in age patterns of employment so that in three last decades women’s participation in labor force has decreased in all age groups. Except 1996, a great number of employed women did not return to work after marriage and childbearing. Using decomposition method for crude activity rate of women, we conclude that most of changes in crude activity rate are due to changing in age specific activity rates and age composition has low effects. Along with macro level factors such as social and economic problems, other factors like fertility decline, rise of life expenditure and higher education had great impact on women’s employment rates.