TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Majbouri, Mahdi
        TI  - Twins, Family Size, and Female Labor Force Participation in Iran
        PY  - 2018/Jun/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 11638
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp11638
        AB  - Despite the remarkable increase in women's education levels and the rapid fall of their fertility rate in Iran, female labor force participation (FLFP) has remained low. Using the instrumental variable method, this paper estimates the causal impact of number of children on mothers' participation in the labor market. It finds that having an extra (unplanned) child would only reduce female participation rate for low educated mothers and mothers with young children, thus having no causal impact on most mothers' participation. This result explains why the rapid decline in fertility rates did not increase female participation; rather, other factors should be at play. It hence moves us a step forward in explaining the puzzle of female labor force participation in Iran. Policy implications are discussed.
        KW  - female labor force participation
KW  - fertility
KW  - Iran
KW  - twins
KW  - instrumental variable
        ER  -