Data Needs
formal attachment to a job (even if they did not work
during the reference period), and individuals without
Additional information is needed regarding historical
work but who were available for and seeking work
trends in labor force participation rates, the types of
during the reference period.
jobs occupied by women in the MAR region, male and
Usefulness
female income, and the relationship between LFPRs,
gender equality and empowerment and environmental
Male and female participation in the overall labor force
protection or resource extraction.
provides a means of establishing the relationship
between specific economic trends (e.g., tourism
development or duty-free zone establishment) with
associated changes in the labor force that are likely
to involve changing family structures, values, gender
roles, education levels for women and fertility rates.
The specific impact of increased involvement of women
in the labor force will also depend on factors not
included in this particular indicator, such as prevailing
values, gender-based division of labor, and traditional
patterns of female leadership within communities.
These vary significantly amongst the different ethnic
groups represented in the MAR region. Availability
of quality education, government policies supporting
women's equal access to political positions, land and
other legal rights, as well as the rate and specific
nature of local economic development, will also play
a significant role.
Status
Labor force participation rate data are available at the
national and municipal levels for all MAR countries 30.
The data are not strictly comparable across countries
because different countries use different age ranges to
define "working age" (see above). A table summarizing
LFPR and LFPR per gender within coastal communities
per country is provided below. Detailed data for the
municipal level are provided in Appendix 3.
The baseline data show higher overall participation
rates in Mexico and Belize and extremely low overall
labor force participation rates in Guatemala and
Honduras, indicating that more traditional patterns of
economic and social organization continue to prevail
Courtesy of Belize Medical Associates
in these areas. They also demonstrate much higher
© 2006 Tony Rath Photography
male than female LFPRs in all countries, with female
LFPRs being especially low in Honduras.
Male Labor Force
Female Labor Force
Country
Labor Force Participation Rate, %
Participation Rate, %
Participation Rate, %
Belize
65
78
46
Guatemala
37
55
19
Honduras
36
56
18
Mexico
58
79
36
SW
SW
Data Source
30
9
145