A Gendered Perspective of Underemployment in Ghana
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Date
2016
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Publisher
Ghana Social Science Journal
Abstract
Globally, studies have shown that inclusive growth is necessary for
poverty reduction. Ghana until recently was a success story in Africa due
to its achievement of high and sustained economic growth and
impressive poverty reduction. Growth has however not been inclusive.
With a high labour force participation rate, most jobs are created in the
informal sector where labour is underutilised. Although both
unemployment and underemployment are forms of labour
underutilisation, research has over the years focused on unemployment.
Using the Ghana Living Standards Survey Six (GLSS 6), this paper
employs a multinomial logistic regression model within a labour
underutilisation framework to investigate underemployment in Ghana
from a gendered perspective. Consistent with previous studies, this study
finds underemployment to be a rural phenomenon in Ghana. Women,
unlike men, face a higher probability of being in income-related
underemployment in all employment types. In addition, all levels of
education are observed to increase the likelihood of time-related
underemployment, yet in accordance with the human capital theory, the
probability of income-related underemployment is observed to decline
with education.
Description
Ghana Social Science Journal, 13(2)
Keywords
Underemployment, Underutilisation, Employment, Gender, Labour Market