07.03.2024 - Just published: Rainfall variability and labor allocation in Uzbekistan: the role of women’s empowerment

Uzbekistan is especially prone to climate risks. Over the last 50 years, the average annual temperature increased in Uzbekistan by 1.5°C, twice the global average for the same period. The average annual precipitation has fallen by 10 mm over the last 50 years.

The authors find that:

(i) temperature and rainfall variability affect an individual decision to be active in agricultural or non-agricultural sectors as well as the decisions to have one’s business activities, to have irregular remunerated activities, or to be out of the labor force;

(ii) women’s empowerment helps to smooth the effects of climate variability and shifts employment choices to less risky activities;

(iii) effects differ in urban and rural areas.

This study contributes to Sustainable Development Goals 5 (Gender equality), 8 (Decent work and economic growth), and 13 (Climate action).

For more insights, the article is available here.

Abstract

Employing a novel georeferenced household survey enriched with data on precipitation and temperature, this paper examines how rainfall variability affects individual labor supply in Uzbekistan, a highly traditional lower-middle-income country in Central Asia. The findings suggest that rainfall variability induces the reallocation of labor supply: (1) out of agriculture to unemployment, (2) from unemployment to business activities and irregular remunerated activities, and (3) from being out of labor force to unemployment. These effects differ in rural and urban areas and by gender. In addition, active women’s involvement in the labor market and household decision-making mediates the impact of rainfall variability on employment choices, especially in rural areas. This implies that traditional gender roles may make households in developing countries more vulnerable to adverse consequences of climate change, while women’s empowerment may mitigate such consequences.

Reference: Otrachshenko, V., Popova, O., & Alimukhamedova, N. (2024). Rainfall variability and labor allocation in Uzbekistan: the role of women’s empowerment. Post-Soviet Affairs, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1060586X.2024.2309822