Women's Mobility and Labour Supply: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan
This study experimentally varies access to a transport service in Lahore to quantify the overall impact of transport to work on men and women
Abstract
In cities with conservative norms or high crime, female workers may face greater restrictions on their physical mobility. This limits women’s labour market opportunities and the pool of workers that firms can attract. In this study, we experimentally vary access to a transport service in Lahore, Pakistan, to quantify the overall impact of transport to work on men, women, and the differential impact of transport exclusively for women. We show that reducing physical mobility constraints has a large impact on job searching for women, including women who are not searching at baseline. Women’s response is driven by a women-only transport treatment arm, suggesting that safety and social acceptability, rather than simply cost, are key constraints.
This research is part of the Gender, Growth and Labour Markets in Low Income Countries programme
Citation
Vyborny, K. and Field, E. (2022). “Women’s Mobility and Labour Supply: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan”. G2LM LIC Working Paper No. 63.
Links
Women’s Mobility and Labour Supply: Experimental Evidence from Pakistan