How does marriage affect men's and women's employment differently?
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Direct answer
The 2017–18 Pakistan DHS recorded a stark employment gap among currently married respondents: 19% of women had worked at some point in the previous 12 months, compared with 98% of men. The survey describes employment status rather than proving marriage caused the difference. Gender norms, unpaid care, education, labour demand, transport and household income all contribute. For men, marriage is often aligned with an expectation of continuous earning; for women, marriage and childbirth can intensify care constraints or require negotiation over whether and where paid work continues.
19% vs 98%married women and men working in the prior 12 months, PDHS 2017–18
Sources used
Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey 2017–18
National Institute of Population Studies and The DHS Program
National survey evidence for marriage timing, women, households and health indicators.View sourceFemale Labor Force Participation in Pakistan
World Bank
Research context on women’s work, marriage and structural barriers to labour-force participation.View sourceLabour Force Statistics
Pakistan Bureau of Statistics
Official labour-force source covering activity, employment, sex, age, marital status and education variables.View source