Documento de trabajo
The role of social networks in employment outcomes of Bolivian women
Fecha
2007Registro en:
Series Documentos de Trabajo, No. 251 Julio, 2007
Autor
Contreras Guajardo, Dante
Kruger, Diana
Ochoa, Marcelo
Zapata Sapiencia, Daniela
Institución
Resumen
This paper explores the role of social networks in determining labor
market participation and salaried employment of Bolivian women and
men. We define social networks as the share of neighbors that have
jobs, and find that networks encourage women’s labor force
participation and that they are effective channels through which
women and men find salaried employment. Furthermore, men and
urban women use same sex contacts to find salaried work. Our findings
suggest that social networks have positive externalities that may reduce
gender disparities in Bolivia’s labor market: educating women, for
instance, has a direct individual effect—labor market participation in
better jobs—and an indirect effect by enlarging the female social
network.