South Asian Women Suffer 'marriage Penalty' At Work: Studying

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A phenomenon known as ‘marriage penalty’ is hampering women’s employment in South Asia, a new World Bank study has found. The trend continues even when child rearing is not taken into account, with men experiencing the opposite, known as the ‘marriage premium’.

What it is: “Marriage penalty” refers to the subsequent decline in female labor force participation weddinglargely driven by deeply ingrained gender norms. According to the studythe share of working women Bangladesh, India, Maldives And Nepal drops by 12% after marriage, while men benefit from a 13% increase known as the ‘marriage premium’. The punishment appears to be harsher for women without secondary education or for women married to less educated men. The findings also show that in India and the Maldives the punishment lasts up to five years, regardless of whether the women have children. However, the research highlights that education can act as a buffer, with women who have completed high school, or are married to well-educated men, experiencing smaller declines in labor force participation.
How the research was conducted: The study is based on data from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) conducted in the four South Asian countries, targeting women aged 15 to 45. Using a pseudo-cohort approach, the study compares labor force participation before and after marriage by matching women with similar demographic characteristics.
The big picture: The marriage penalty reflects deep-rooted gender inequality in the region, where female labor force participation is high among the lowest in the world. As of 2023, only 32% of working-age women were in the labor force, compared to 77% of working-age men. The marriage penalty is a major driver of this inequality and reflects how societal expectations regarding married women’s mobility play a major role in limiting their economic potential. The findings are highlighted in the World Bank’s October 2024 “South Asia Development Update” at “Women, jobs and growth.”