Marriage, Gender, and Vocational Training in Pakistan: Evidence on Working Hours and Wages from the 2020–21 Labor Force Survey

Abstract

This study examines the association of marital status, gender, and skill development with labor market outcomes in Pakistan, focusing on working hours and monthly earnings. Using micro-data from the Pakistan Labor Force Survey 2020–21, the study draws on individuals aged 15–65 years. The full LFS sample comprises 42,850, while the final estimation samples differ by outcome and comprises of 31,250 individuals are restricted to the relevant employed or wage-earning individuals. The analysis considers marital status, gender, marital status by gender interaction, participation in training, and type of training provider, along with relevant socioeconomic and individual characteristics. The Inverse Probability Weighted Regression Adjustment (IPWRA) method is used to account for differences in observed characteristics between treatment and comparison groups. The findings show that marriage is associated with fewer working hours but higher earnings. Skill training is positively associated with working hours, while its overall relationship with earnings is weak; however, individuals who received training show higher earnings compared with their estimated earnings without training. Similarly, government and non-government training is not significantly associated with working hours or earnings for the overall population, but positive associations are observed among those who received training. Overall, the findings suggest that marital status and skill development are important factors associated with labor market outcomes in Pakistan. However, IPWRA only accounts for differences in observed characteristics, and the cross-sectional nature of the data limits causal interpretation. The findings should therefore be understood as associations rather than definitive causal effects.