Impact of Women’s Labour Force Participation on Fertility Behaviour in Sri Lanka

Abstract

It is intricate for women to decide the time of the next birth, number of children and the time to stop childbearing. However, in modern society, due to changing of women’s traditional household activities and the influence of various socio economic and demographic conditions the women take a decision on fertility behaviour. Especially the employment status of women is highly dealing with their fertility decision making. The main objective of the study was to identify the impact of women’s labour force participation on fertility behaviour. Secondary data were obtained from the Demographic and Health Survey 2006/2007 conducted by the Department of Census and Statistics to analyze fertility behaviour at national level. Descriptive statistics and Cox regression method were mainly used for the analysis. The study found that women’s labour force participation, exposure to the media, use of contraceptives (ever), age at marriage, husband’s education, age difference between husband and wife, BMI, preferred number of children, women’s education, residential sector, ethnicity and wealth Index are statistically significant in the determination of fertility behaviour of women. By expanding the result, the study further found that women’s labour force participation is positively associated with the risk of ending childbearing at early ages and consecutive birth spacing. However negative relationship between women‘s age at first birth and labour force participation is recorded. The women who engage with elementary occupation and skill category recorded high risk of having first child at early ages. Therefore the study concluded that labour force participation as one of the important determinants in fertility behaviour of women. However, Sri Lankan labour market also pays low attention regarding child care facilities for their employees than other developed and developing countries. Therefore government and private sector should improve child care facilities in the working environment. Further there should be formal rules and regulation for child care facilities as a policy suggestion.