This thesis seeks to explore the social, cultural, economic and political factors that influence female labor force participation rates. Specifically, this research will focus on female economic activity in the Middle East and North African (MENA) region. MENA is often understood as being monolithic in its treatment of women. This study aims to challenge this rhetoric by evaluating the factors that impact female labor in MENA. Upon considering multiple social, cultural, economic and political factors, this thesis will focus on the role of oil and religion in influencing female labor rates. Finally, this study will explore these influences on a micro-level and the role of oil and religion will be examined as to how they apply to female economic activity in both Tunisia and Saudi Arabia.

Female labor force participation varies widely across regions and cultures, typically with more working women in developed than developing countries. Because there are significant differences between developed and developing countries that go beyond GDP, this paper examines the effects of certain development indicators on female workforce participation across these countries. Using models from past literature, I include indicators that cover personal and labor market characteristics. In this analysis, I find that education and unemployment rates continue to be significant determinants of female labor force participation in both developed and developing countries, with several key differences in the effect of various types of unemployment. Furthermore, my study supports the existence of an initial tradeoff between female labor force participation and development as the economic sectors within a country shift. These results provide valuable insights on these general trends across national borders and therefore are important for policy makers.

人口老化已是世界許多國家所面臨的挑戰之一，不僅使該國老年人口數增加，也面臨勞動力老化、勞工短缺等情形的發生。從臺灣中高齡者勞動參與情形來看，有許多中高齡工作者會在中年時期逐漸退出勞動市場，與世界各國相較，我國中高齡者勞動參與率偏低，對此，如何妥善運用中高齡人口勞動力愈趨重要。本研究從生命歷程觀點出發，將個人的勞動參與視為連續的歷程，且每個人的就業途徑是相異的，在中高齡階段有些人會選擇退休，有些人則持續在勞動市場內工作，故研究者希望能瞭解影響中高齡工作者持續參與或退出勞動市場的轉變以及個人對未來的退休意向為何，對中高齡者勞動參與情形及退休意向有更多的認識。據此，本研究目的在於：一、瞭解中高齡者勞動參與之情形，並進一步探究持續工作的中高齡者在這四年間的工作型態、職業別、行業別以及受僱身分改變之情形。二、分析影響2003年至2007年中高齡工作者持續參與或退出勞動市場之轉變的因素。三、探討目前勞動市場中高齡工作者之退休意向情形，進而分析影響個人退休意向之因素。四、依據研究成果提供相關之建議，供社會工作實務界及政策制定者做參考，以擬定相關中高齡就業之政策。 　　本研究透過衛生福利部國民健康署所進行的「臺灣地區中老年身心社會生活狀況長期追蹤調查系列」2003年第五主波調查資料以及2007年第六主波調查資料進行分析，主要分析可分為三個部分：第一部份係分析中高齡者2003年至2007年勞動參與的情形，研究對象為2003年50歲至64歲到2007年時為54至68歲的中高齡者，共2,207位；第二部分則分析影響中高齡工作者勞動參與轉變的因素，研究對象為2003年50歲至64歲有工作的中高齡者，分析的樣本數共1,194位；最後，主要係分析影響中高齡工作者的退休意向的因素，研究對象針對2007年54歲至68歲有工作的中高齡者進行分析，有效樣本數為1,017位。本研究使用SPSS 20.0統計軟體，以描述性統計、卡方檢定、簡單迴歸分析和邏輯迴歸分析等統計方法進行分析。綜合研究主要發現，可得到以下結論： 一、在2003年至2007年這四年間，中高齡工作者在此階段逐漸離開勞動市場；而持續就業的897位中高齡者，在職業別的改變幅度較大，工作型態的改變則較小。 二、影響中高齡工作者勞動參與轉變的因素包括：中高齡者2003年時的年齡、性別、婚姻狀況、自評健康狀況、受僱身分，以及2003年至2007年自評健康狀況轉變和老年經濟保障轉變等因素的影響。 三、影響中高齡工作者退休意向的因素包括：中高齡者2007年時的自評經濟狀況以及領取退休金等因素的影響。 　　依據本研究發現，研究者提出四點建議，作為未來擬定相關中高齡就業政策之參考：一、學習日本制定「中高齡者雇用法」，延長我國退休年限，並善用過渡性工作的概念，減少中高齡工作者在65歲之前退出勞動市場。二、設立中高齡人才中心，培養中高齡者的第二專長，提供多元的就業管道，並降低年齡歧視的刻板印象。三、經濟安全保障是中高齡者最關注之部分，應促進個人在退休前做好財務規劃，讓中高齡者退休後有穩定的經濟來源。四、培養個人的嗜好及興趣，並辦理退休準備教育的課程或方案，為個人退休後生活做好準備。 / Aging population has been a severe challenge for many countries in the world, it’s not only lets seniors increasing in the country but also faces the problems in aging labor force and labor shortage. From the situation in Taiwan older labor force participation , many of the workers will exit the labor market gradually. In comparison with each country in the world, the older labor force participation in our country is slightly low; thus, it is more important how to appropriately handle older labor force. This study start from the perspective of life course, and view the individual labor force participation as the continual course, and everyone’s employment pathway is different, someone in older will choose to retire, and someone continues to work in the labor market; therefore, this study hopes to understand the factor to affect the changes in the older workers continue to participate in the labor market or exit it and individual’s retirement conations in the future. There are four purposes in this study. First, to understand the situation in older labor force participation, and then discuss the conditions in older workers’ work styles, occupations, industries, and the changes in employee and employers identification from 2003 to 2007. Second, to analyze the factor to affect older workers continue to participate or exit the labor market from 2003 to 2007. Third, to discuss the circumstances in the older workers’ retire conations in current labor market. Last, according to the suggestions from the study results, providing the social workers and policy-makers a reference to draw up a policy concerned to older employment. This study analyzes through the Health Promotion Administration, Ministry of Health and Welfare’s “Survey of the older in Taiwan” in 2003 the fifth wave survey information and 2007 the sixth wave survey information, and can divide into three parts. The first part analyzes the situations in older labor participation from 2003 to 2007 and the subjects are the older from 50-64 years old in 2003 to 54-68 years old in 2007, and total 2,207 people. The second part analyzes the factors to influence the changes in older workers’ labor force participation, and the subjects are the older who were 50-64 years old, and total 1,194 people. The last part analyzes the factors to influence the retire conations to older workers, and the subjects are concerned to 54-68 years older who have jobs, and the valid samples are 1,017 people. This study uses the statistic software, SPSS 20.0, and analyzes with some statistic methods like Descriptive Statistic, Chi-square Test, Simple Linear Regression and Logistic Regression Analysis. According to research results, we acquires following conclusions. First, during 2003-2007, the older workers gradually exit the labor market. In contrast, the 897 elder workers who choose to obtain employment fluctuate in large amount in occupation, and in small in work style. Second, the factor to influence the changes in older workers’ labor force participation include the older age, sex, marriage, self-heath condition, employee and employer identification in 2003, and the transition in self-health condition and senior economic guarantee during 2003-2007. Third, the factor to influence the retire conations to older workers include the older self-economy condition, the amount of pension in 2007. According to the study results , I come up with four suggestions to make references for drawing up older employment policy in the future. First, to emulate Japan to enact “Law Concerning Stabilization of Employment of Older Persons”, extending the retire age in our country, and make good use of the concept of transitional job so as to decrease the number of older workers to exit the labor market. Second, to establish the older human resource center , cultivating their second specialty, providing a diverse employment channels with the view to decreasing the stereotype in age discrimination. Third, economic safety guarantee is the most concerned part of all, and we should facilitate each individual to make good financial plan so that the older may have stable economic sources after retirement. Last, to cultivate individual’s hobbies and interests and transact the courses or projects of retire preparation education for the purpose of make perfect ready for retired life.

This dissertation is divided into five chapters consisting of three short essays that concentrate on economic analysis of health, savings and labor. The first essay is aimed at investigating the influence of increased work hours on individuals’ health and how this may differ between males and females. It is expected that increased hours of work will have a negative impact on health but this impact may be stronger for females. In the second essay, the relationship between individuals’ health and savings behavior is analyzed. Healthy individuals are expected to be more productive, earn higher incomes, and have lower medical expenditures compared to unhealthy individuals. It is therefore expected that individuals’ health will have a positive influence on their saving behavior. The third paper analyzes the effect of increased work, as proxied by labor force participation, on health, as proxied by life expectancy, at the macro level. The main aim of the analysis in the third essay is to investigate whether or not increased female labor force participation is a contributing factor to the narrowing gap between the life expectancy of females and males. In the final chapter of this dissertation, I provide a summary of my findings on the relationships between work, health, and savings. I also provide directions for future research.

Over the past several decades there has been extensive research done in an attempt to determine what demographic characteristics affect economic growth, measured in GDP per capita. Understanding what influences the growth of a country will vastly help policy makers enact policies to lead the country in a positive direction. This research focuses on isolating a new variable, women in the work force. As well as isolating a new variable, this research will modify a preexisting variable that was shown to be significant in order to make the variable more robust and sensitive to recessions. The intent of this thesis is to explore the relationship between several demographic characteristics and their effect on the growth rate of GDP per capita. The first step is to reproduce the work done by Barlow (1994) to ensure that the United States follows similar rules as the countries in his research. Afterwards, we will introduce new variables into the model, comparing the goodness of fit through the methods of R-squared, AIC and BIC. There have been several models developed to answer each of the research questions independently.

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This study examined changes between 1950 and 1970 in women's aggregate occupational position in 168 Standard Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Specifically, the research was designed to study three aspects of women's occupational position. First, women's distribution across occupational categories (absolute position) was examined. Absolute position was defined as the percent of working women in professional and managerial occupations. Second, women's occupational position compared to men (relative position) was examined. This involved women's share of the total jobs in each occupational category. Third, the statistical relationship between women's occupational position and their labor force participation rate was investigated using zero-order correlations.

The Old Age Pension (OAP) program for elderly South Africans puts a significant cash transfer in the hands of many poor households. This dissertation investigates its impact on labor force participation and consumption of selected household items. In the first half of the dissertation, we take advantage of a policy reform that lowered men's OAP eligibility age from 65 to 60 for men to match that of women for estimation identification. Using the General Household Survey data, we first demonstrate that both men and women respond to the eligibility age by dropping from labor force participation at the eligibility age, as expected. Using a difference-in-difference-in-difference estimator, we estimate that at the median predicted wage, age eligibility reduces men's probability of labor force participation by approximately 6.14 percentage points. Previous studies show that not only is the OAP take-up rate high among the age-eligible, but its value is sufficiently high to generally make it a significant component of total household income for the majority of pensioners and their households. Other studies add that it is a dominant source of income in older households, such that it is often the sole source of income in these households, especially those in rural areas. In the second half of the dissertation, therefore, we examine the impact of age-eligibility status on a number of selected household outcomes, such as food security, sanitation, source of drinking water, and ownership of consumer durable goods. We also examine the extent to which gender influences its impact on household outcomes. We find positive effects on a select number of outcomes; however, we note this is more associated with females' age-eligibility status, but not that of males.

L'objet de cette thèse est d'appréhender les dynamiques du marché du travail. Afin d'éclairer sur les mécanismes à l'origine des variations des stocks, comme le taux de chômage, cette thèse étudie en profondeur les flux de travailleurs. En effet, les évolutions des stocks masquent un mouvement incessant de flux entre les états du marché du travail. Lorsque certains individus trouvent un emploi, d'autres perdent le leur, tandis que d'autres encore se retirent de l'activité. Dans le but d'envisager ces éventualités, la thèse propose des analyses appliquées, à partir de données d'enquête, mais aussi des analyses théoriques, basées sur des modèles macroéconomiques modernes. Les quatre essais composant cette thèse suggèrent que l'inactivité et l'accès à l'emploi ont un rôle prédominant dans l'explication du chômage français. Il apparait également que les expériences en matière de transition sur le marché du travail sont diversifiées et dépendent, dans bien des cas, des caractéristiques individuelles. Ainsi, les « moins qualifiés » subissent les trajectoires les moins favorables et les femmes voient leur probabilité de réintégrer le marché du travail se réduire en fonction du nombre d'enfants. Au niveau macroéconomique, il est montré que les flux de travailleurs ne répondent pas de la même manière aux chocs économiques. Qui plus est, l'environnement économique a un impact direct sur les flux. Les périodes d'incertitude, caractérisées par une forte imprévisibilité, modifient le comportement des agents. Les gains retirés des activités de recherche d'emploi étant réduits, moins d'individus souhaitent devenir actifs. / This thesis aims at understanding labor market dynamics. In order to shed light on the mechanisms at the origin of labor market stocks, e.g. the unemployment rate, this thesis studies flows of workers. Indeed, changes in stocks hide a perpetual movement of worker flows between labor market states. When some individuals are finding a job, some others are losing their, while others are withdrawing from participation. To take into account all these alternatives, this thesis proposes applied studies, based on survey data, but also theoretical analyses, based on modern macroeconomic models. The four essays of this thesis suggest that non-participation and return to job are dominant in explaining French unemployment variations. It is also shown that, in terms of worker flows, paths are multiples and depend on individual own characteristics: “unskilled” workers accumulate difficulties on the labor market; women have lower chances of participating when their family size increases. At a macroeconomic level, this thesis shows that worker flows responses to aggregate shocks differ according to their origin. Moreover, the economic environment has a direct impact on worker flows. Times of uncertainty, characterized by a high level of unpredictability, change the behavior of economic agents. As search activities have a lower probability to be successful, fewer individuals move from non-participation to participation.

The purpose of this study was to conduct an ecological examination of the relationship between social integration and dropout rates at the school and community level, and the role of career and technical education in this relationship. This paper also attempts to determine if this relationship changes depending on how urbanicity is operationalized. This study adds to the existing research concerning the ecological relationships between dropout rates, community social integration, school social integration, and urbanicity in Mississippi. Three-year averaged event dropout rates for 2005-2008, multiple community and school measures of social integration, and three different operationalizations of urbanicity were used. Some expected relationships were found to be true while others indicate that social integration at both the school and community level are so intertwined in their effects on dropout rates that no clear pattern emerges. The varying results related to the role of urbanicity in this study provide support for the need to further examine the concepts of community and location as factors that impact educational outcomes such as dropping out of school. This is particularly important when one considers that most educational policies that are implemented in a state tend to be overarching treating school districts no matter what size they are the same. This study also highlights that there are factors that impact what one would traditionally expect to find in the relationship between dropout rates and social integration that do not hold true. For example, an inverse relationship between dropout rates and local funding was expected, but in this study the relationship was found to be positive. One possible explanation for this is related to the fact that local taxes for schools are mandated by the county government and not voted on by the people. This changes the theoretical expectations of this relationship leading to possibly false assumptions.