Sustainable development: Does improvement in education and health of women improve female labour force participation rate?

Abstract

The sustainable development goals are a call to action to protect the planet and guarantee peace and prosperity for all people. Since inception, the sustainable development goals have brought about general improvements in the quality of life of females, especially in the aspects of health and education. The question however is whether these improvements also create more employment opportunities for females or not. This study attempts to provide empirical answers to this question by revisiting the determinants of labour force participation rate. The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of improvement in health and education on employment opportunities for females in Nigeria over the period 1990-2016, using up-to-date econometric techniques. Empirical revelations show positive and significant relationships between health status of females in Nigeria and their labour participation rate and also between the level of education of females in Nigeria and their labour participation rate. These outcomes resonate with existing literature. Thus, this study concludes that females with higher education and appreciable health statuses have better chances of participating in the labour force. Therefore, stakeholders and policymakers in Nigeria are encouraged to deliberately align with the sustainable development goals.