What does the Relationship between Mothers-in-Law and Daughters-in-Law tell us about Women’s Labor Force Participation in India?
A large body of research persuasively demonstrates that despite significant economic growth, a noteworthy decline in fertility rates, and a rise in female education rates, female labor force participation in Asia remains lower than that of men. Given how vast Asia is and the existence of substantial regional differences within Asia, it helps to think about this unfortunately low female labor force participation by focusing on India, the most populous nation not only in Asia but also in the world.
In patrilocal and patriarchal societies such as India, it is very common for a married woman to be coresident with her mother-in-law (MIL), in an extended family household. Therefore, if one is to comprehend the limited labor force participation of women in the Indian subcontinent then it makes sense to first understand the dynamics of the relationship between MILs and their daughters-in-law (DILs).
Generally speaking, MILs tend to have substantial say over the decision-making engaged in by their DILs. As such, in principle, a MIL’s influence over her DIL can be either constraining or supporting as far as shaping this DIL’s social network. New research based on data from the state of Uttar Pradesh shows that in comparison with a woman who does not live with her MIL, a woman who lives with her MIL has 18 percent fewer close peers in her village with whom she can discuss issues relating to, inter alia, health and family planning. In other words, the MIL constrains her DIL’s social network by not allowing her to visit places outside the home by herself. However, this negative picture is muddied by the existence of other research which demonstrates that the relationship between MILs and DILs can be loving in nature with the MIL enhancing her DIL’s overall well-being.
Does this mixed outcome also prevail when considering a DIL’s labor force participation? To answer this question, it is important to understand that there are two forces at work, and they pull in opposite directions. On the one hand, by serving as the custodian of gender-specific social norms, a coresident MIL may constrain her DIL’s labor force participation outside the household. On the other hand, a coresident MIL can facilitate her DIL’s labor force participation by taking on some of the housework responsibilities that would otherwise fall on the DIL. So, the net impact that a MIL has on her DIL’s labor force participation depends on which force dominates.
Meticulous new research sheds valuable light on this question by making use of data from the Indian Human Development Survey and the so-called difference-in-differences estimation strategy. Although there are several econometric issues to be mindful of, this research analyzes the labor force participation rate of women whose MILs died between 2005 and 2012 and those whose MILs did not die in this same time period. Three noteworthy results emerge. First, women’s labor force participation declined for both groups over the 7 years between 2005 and 2012. Second, the labor force participation of those women who eventually lost their MILs was always higher than those who did not. Finally, there was a 10 percent decline in the labor force participation of women whose MILs died in the study period.
The research delineated here shows that family structure and housework burdens are salient determinants of women’s labor force participation. Specifically, the death of a MIL diminishes the DIL’s labor force participation by raising her housework burden. In other words, even though MILs sometimes play a limiting role in settings involving autonomy and social networks, their presence in a household does not always prevent a DIL from being employed outside the household.
The findings we have been discussing here are clearly not the last word on this subject. Even so, this empirical research clearly suggests that anything policymakers can do to attenuate the burdens of housework and to challenge rigid gender roles will hasten the participation by women in the labor force. This would be a good outcome not only for India but the whole world.
