Ethnic and religious differences in female labor force participation : evidence from Syrian census data

Summary, in English

This paper investigates the magnitude and drivers of ethnic and religious disparities in Female Labor Force Participation (FLFP) in Syria. Using census data and the Gelbach decomposition method, the analysis reveals substantial FLFP gaps across groups, reaching up to 18 percentage points. To understand the factors underlying these gaps, the analysis exploits the heterogeneity in economic development, demographic profiles, educational attainment, and geography across towns and villages. The findings indicate that differences in age distribution, income levels, education, and public sector employment shares are the primary contributors to FLFP gaps. While social norms are often considered key determinants of FLFP, their role is assessed using gender parity indices for educational enrollment and attainment but shows little explanatory power for ethnic and religious disparities in FLFP. These results highlight the importance of structural economic and demographic factors over cultural constraints in shaping group differences in FLFP in Syria.

• Author: Rami Zalfou
• Department/s: Department of Economic History; Centre for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies (CMES); MECW: The Middle East in the Contemporary World; Economic demography
• Publishing year: 2025-10-03
• Language: English
• Publication/Series: Journal of demographic economics
• Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/dem.2025.10007
• Document type: Journal article
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Topic: Economic History
• Keywords: Syria; Female labor force participation; Ethnic inequality; Religion
• Status: Epub
• Project: Middle East in the Contemporary World
• ISBN/ISSN/Other: ISSN: 2054-0892