A special issue in the Journal of Development Perspectives following the panel at DSA2025.

This special issue edited by Uma Kambhampati and Niaz Asadullah explores the varied explores the varied patterns of women’s labour force participation in the Global South. It seeks insights into regional disparities, positive deviance, and emerging trends, with a focus on South Asia, MENA, and Southeast Asia.

The special issue editors invites papers to explore why women’s labour force participation in the Global South has been so varied. What explains Southeast Asia’s relatively high female labour force participation rates? Conversely, why has women’s employment stagnated in South Asia and MENA despite the rise in female education? Are there emerging cases of positive deviance at the country level? Why is women’s employment so low in India? Have Saudi Arabia’s recent policy changes positively impacted women’s employment? To what extent are these patterns shaped by persistent gender norms? Alternatively, is the structure and growth of certain economies reinforcing low participation rates for women?

If you would like to submit an article to Journal of Development Perspectives, please visit http://www.editorialmanager.com/jdp and create an author profile. The online system will guide you through the steps to upload your article for submission to the editorial office. Refer to the submission guidelines or view them on the submission site in the About section in the navigation bar before submitting your manuscript.

More information on the special issue.