Trade Openness and Female Employment: An Empirical Sectoral Analysis from Kenya

Gender equality promotes a country’s development potential and is therefore considered to play an important role in economic development. This study probes the effects of economic determinants on female employment in the agricultural sector in Kenya by considering economic and social factors. The study employs the ARDL approach for the period 1980-2019. There is a long-term link between economic and social determinants and female employment in the agricultural sector, which has been validated empirically. The results indicate that per capita income, inflation and exports encourage female employment, while foreign direct investment, fertility rate and imports impact female employment in the agricultural sector negatively in Kenya. The main policy implication based on results is that trade openness in form of exports should be promoted to increase female employment in the agricultural sector in Kenya. There is a need to shift Kenya's imports from food-based to capital-intensive imports to promote women's employment in the agricultural sector