家庭收入与中国城镇已婚妇女劳动参与决策分析

Family Income and Labor Force Participation of Married Women in Unban China

在中国经济的转型期间女性劳动参与率出现了明显下降,这种下降趋势在年龄较大以及教育程度较低的妇女群组中表现更为突出。与此同时我国的男女收入差距也在不断扩大。然而丈夫收入并不能充分解释女性劳动参与率的变动。已婚妇女劳动参与率下降最大的家庭并不是丈夫收入增长最快的家庭。1995—2002年间丈夫收入仅仅解释了整体已婚妇女劳动参与率变动的12.87%,以及低收入家庭中已婚妇女劳动参与率变动的7.74%。与其说我国女性劳动参与率的下降是家庭收入提高从而家庭重新分工的自主选择,不如说是严峻的就业形势所迫。

The female labor force participation rate(FLFPR) has been declining during economic transition. The trend is more prominent for those women who are aged or have received less education. And at the same time, the gender income gap has been expanding. The husband's income can't fully explain the change in FLFPR. While the earning gains have been greatest for high-income men, the declines in FLFPR have been greatest for wives of low-income men. For women overall the increase in husband's income can account for 12.87% of the decline in FLFPR since 1995, while for women in low-income families, the same factor can only account for 7.74%. Our conclusion is that the decline of FLFPR is not the result of increase in family income, but the result of the severe labor market status.