Booze and women: Gendering labor market outcomes of secular consumption patterns in a Muslim society

This study explores the effect of religion on female labor force participation (FLFP) in a Muslim country, Turkey, by using the information in the consumption data as a signal of secularity. A household is categorized as secular, if its members report that they consume goods that contradict the conservative interpretations of Islam. This information is then used in FLFP estimations. The analysis is carried out for married and single females, separately. The results show that, living in a secular household has a positive and highly significant effect on the probability of FLFP in the urban areas. Secularity is also associated with a reduction in unpaid work, which is the most widespread form of female employment in rural areas in Turkey. For the single females, whose mean age is lower, the estimations provide some weaker evidence on the positive effect of secularity on the probability of educational participation, while no significant direct effect on paid work is found