Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Associate Professor of Economic, Faculty of Economics, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran
2
PhD Candidate of Economics, Faculty of Economics, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/es.2026.573547.1929
Abstract
Women’s economic participation is one of the key pillars of activating human capital within the framework of Resistance Economy policies. At the same time, the family institution is regarded as the main pillar of social stability and the primary context for implementing population growth policies. Therefore, the central challenge lies in creating a balance between these two important functions, so that women’s maternal and spousal roles are reinforced alongside, rather than treated as obstacles to, their economic participation. This study was designed to analyze the pattern of time allocation within households and to identify mechanisms that facilitate women’s economic participation in line with general family policies. The data were drawn from the Iranian Time Use Survey for the years 2019 and 2020 and were analyzed using logit and probit regression models. The findings indicate that, in the absence of supportive arrangements, an increase in the time devoted to childcare is associated with a lower probability of women’s economic participation; specifically, each additional hour allocated to childcare reduces the probability of economic participation by an average of 2.5 percent. However, the key finding of the study shows that the husband’s supportive participation in domestic affairs is one of the main factors contributing to balance in the performance of family and economic roles; specifically, an increase in the husband’s share of household responsibilities raises the probability of women’s economic participation by as much as 18.5 percent. Also, among the control variables, women’s education shows the strongest positive and statistically significant effect on their probability of economic participation. These results highlight the need to redefine the intra-household division of labor, not as a change in authentic family roles, but rather as a form of supportive cooperation aimed at reducing women’s double burden. Finally, it is recommended that to simultaneously achieve the goals of youth population growth and the Resistance Economy, a set of supportive policies be adopted, including the development of flexible job opportunities, the expansion of public care infrastructure, support for household productivity, and the promotion of women’s skills and human capital. This will enable women to maintain their active and sustainable presence in economic spheres while effectively fulfilling their family roles.
Keywords
Subjects
