Household Care Burden and Women’s Market Participation Intensity: A Binary Logistic Analysis
Keywords:
Women entrepreneurship, Household care burden, SMEs, Market participation, Afghanistan, Logistic regressionAbstract
Purpose – This paper investigates how household care burdens influence the market participation of women entrepreneurs in Kandahar city. The study aims to investigate whether factors such as childcare access, household size, perceived social norms, and business attributes influence the likelihood of women working 30 hours or more per week in their enterprises.
Method – Using survey data from 420 women-owned small and micro enterprises across the food, retail, services, and handicrafts sectors, a binary logistic regression model was applied. The dependent variable determined whether entrepreneurs worked more than 30 hours weekly. Independent variables included household care hours, childcare availability, household size, perceived community norms, travel time, security incidents, and business-level controls.
Result – Regression analysis revealed that unpaid care work significantly reduced women's entrepreneurial labour supply (H1 supported). At the same time, access to childcare facilities markedly increased the likelihood of working 30 hours or more per week (H2 supported). Perceived community endorsement also showed a strong, positive effect on participation (H4 supported), and education levels were positively associated with increased work hours (H9 supported). Household size (H3), security incidents (H6), bookkeeping skills (H8), and enterprise resources (H10) were not significant predictors. Travel time had a marginally negative effect (H5 weakly supported), and prior training showed a modest, borderline significant positive influence (H7 partially supported).
Practical Implications – The results emphasise the importance of offering affordable childcare, enhancing mobility and security, and fostering community support to unlock women’s full business potential. For policymakers and NGOs, interventions should integrate household support systems alongside business development initiatives to promote sustainable growth.
Originality/Novelty – This study is among the first to quantitatively examine the effect of household care burden and social norms on women’s entrepreneurial labour supply in Kandahar through econometric modelling.
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Author Biographies
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Rahmatullah Pashtoon, Kandahar University
Assist. Prof. Dr. Rahmatullah Pashtoon – Biography Personal and Academic OverviewDr. Rahmatullah Pashtoon is a distinguished academic, researcher, and development professional with over 12 years of experience in higher education, market systems development, climate resilience, and inclusive economic growth. He currently serves as the Vice Chancellor for Academic Researches at Kandahar University, Afghanistan, where he leads institutional reforms to transform the university into a center of innovation, research excellence, and policy-relevant knowledge.
Dr. Pashtoon is pursuing his PhD in Economics at the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM), specializing in women’s entrepreneurship in Afghanistan. His doctoral thesis, “Exploring the Role of Social, Financial, and Institutional Supports in Advancing Female Entrepreneurship in Kandahar, Afghanistan,” addresses critical gaps in economic empowerment and development. He also holds an MBA in Financial Management (Savitribai Phule Pune University, 2016) and a BA in Economics and Statistics (University of Pune, 2014). Additionally, he has completed multiple diplomas in International Business, International Relations, Human Resource Management, Business Administration, and Functional Arabic Language.
Academic LeadershipAs Vice Chancellor for Academic Researches, Dr. Pashtoon oversees the research strategy, faculty development, and curriculum alignment across Kandahar University’s faculties. He has initiated reforms including:
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Establishing a university-wide research agenda.
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Strengthening research committees at faculty level.
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Launching internal grant schemes to increase publication output by 25%.
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Supervising 40+ academic and administrative staff across departments.
His leadership emphasizes applied research, ethical standards, and international collaboration. He actively mentors postgraduate students and encourages faculty to integrate advanced tools such as SPSS, EViews, and SmartPLS into their research.
Research and PublicationsDr. Pashtoon is a prolific researcher with:
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13+ international publications in indexed, peer-reviewed journals.
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Focus areas: Afghan women entrepreneurship, drug economy, Afghan economic growth, development economics, and institutional reforms.
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10+ international conference presentations, including a paper on Zakāt’s role in social security and economic sustainability (Antalya, Turkey, 2020).
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Leadership in 5 major research projects.
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Contributions to curriculum design and revision in 6 academic programs, aligning higher education with market needs.
He has also produced YouTube-based tutorial series on SPSS, Research Methodology, and Descriptive Statistics, reaching large audiences of Afghan students and researchers.
Professional ExperienceDr. Pashtoon has served in multiple leadership and technical roles within USAID, EU, UN, and ADB-funded programs, including:
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Acting Deputy Chief of Party & Value Chains Director, WAMA (USAID/DAI) (2024–2025): Directed systemic interventions across value chains, leading to 70% income growth and 40% productivity increases.
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Value Chains Director, AVCP (USAID/DAI) (2024): Oversaw $75M program, supervising 24 staff, improving livestock and crop productivity, and promoting systemic market reforms.
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Business Productivity Improvement Manager, AVCP-Livestock (USAID/DAI) (2021–2024): Implemented partnerships with SMEs and farmers, increasing supply chain efficiency.
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Deputy Project Lead, Arghandab Integrated Water Resources Development Project (ADB) (2019–2021): Supervised $348M water management program at Dahla Dam.
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Program Manager – Women Economic Empowerment (UN Women) (2018–2019): Empowered 1,200 women, with 85% reporting improved technical and social outcomes.
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Senior MSME Development Lead (World Bank/ADB) (2016–2017): Designed and delivered MSME grants, increasing household income by 70%.
His career reflects a unique balance between academic governance and practical development expertise, particularly in market systems development, grant management, gender inclusion, and policy reform.
Teaching and TrainingWith 10+ years of lecturing experience, Dr. Pashtoon has taught economics and research methodology at five higher education institutions, including Kandahar University’s Faculty of Economics. As a trainer, he has:
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Conducted 300+ seminars, workshops, and ToTs.
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Reached 4,000+ professionals and students across Afghanistan and internationally.
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Specialized in quantitative research methods, econometrics, and capacity-building for academic staff.
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International Committee Member, International Academy of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Management (IASTEM).
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Editorial Member, International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications.
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Certified External Peer Reviewer, Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA).
He also serves as an external peer reviewer for Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education, contributing to academic quality assurance and accreditation.
Skills and Expertise-
Languages: Pashto (native), Dari (fluent), English (fluent), Urdu (fluent), Arabic (basic).
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Technical Skills: SPSS, STATA, AMOS, EViews, TAMIS, Tableau, MS Office, Canva, VBA, Mendeley, AI tools.
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Competencies: Academic quality assurance, market system development, women’s economic empowerment, institutional reform, strategic planning, partnership development, financial and grant management.
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20+ certifications and appraisals from international organizations and governments.
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Recognition as an International Quality Assurance and Accreditation Certified External Peer Reviewer (MQA, Malaysia).
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ResearchGate: Profile
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Academia.edu: Profile
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LinkedIn: Profile
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YouTube: Pashtoon Academy
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Noorihsan Bin Mohamad, International Islamic University Malaysia
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Noorihsan Bin Mohamad — Academic ProfileCurrent role
Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Kulliyyah of Economics & Management Sciences (KENMS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). (IIUM, Kulliyyah)Education
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PhD in Economics — University of Melbourne, Australia. (I-Know, ResearchGate)
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Earlier studies in Economics — University of Malaya (Malaysia). (I-Know)
Research interests & expertise
Telecommunications economics and regulation; productivity and efficiency analysis; industrial organization and policy in network industries. (Inferred from publication record, esp. telecoms productivity and reform papers.) (IIUM Journals, IDEAS/RePEc)Selected publications
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Telecommunications Policy (Elsevier): “Telecommunications reform and efficiency performance: Do good institutions matter?” (2014). (IDEAS/RePEc)
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International Journal of Economics, Management & Accounting (IIUM): “Productivity Growth in the Malaysian Mobile Telecommunications Industry” (2004). (IIUM Journals)
Profiles & repositories
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IIUM Staff Directory / KENMS staff page (official). (IIUM, Kulliyyah)
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IIUM Institutional Repository (IREP) author page. (IIUM Repository)
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Google Scholar author profile (publication list). (Google Scholar)
Recent supervision & collaboration (example)
Co-authorship with IIUM students and collaborators appears on Google Scholar/IREP and aligns with his fields (telecoms, productivity/efficiency). (IIUM Repository, Google Scholar)Contact (faculty)
Notes & caution on identifiers
Department of Economics, KENMS, IIUM, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (General KENMS contact page). (EMSS IIUM)-
You previously asked for his ORCID. A profile that appears to match “Noorihsan Mohamad” exists (ORCID 0000-0002-2972-3523), but because names can overlap, please confirm with him before using it in official materials. (ORCID)
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Zarinah Hamid, International Islamic University Malaysia
Profile: Prof. Dr. Zarinah Hamid Position & Affiliation-
Professor (Dept. of Economics, KENMS), International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)
Affiliated with IIUM’s Department of Economics within the Kulliyyah of Economics & Management Sciences (I-Know).
Dr. Zarinah’s work spans applied economics, econometrics, development economics, Islamic finance, and institutional frameworks, with over 50 publications and 581 citations (ResearchGate).
Noteworthy Publications:
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Women Entrepreneurs’ Financial Performance (2024): Co-authored with Rahmatullah Pashtoon and Noorihsan Bin Mohamad (ResearchGate).
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Impact of INGOs and Governmental Support on Women Entrepreneurs (2024): Explores how external aids influence female-led businesses (ResearchGate).
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Structured Warrants & Implied Volatility (2020): Investigates information content in financial instruments within Singapore (ResearchGate).
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Renewable Energy & Economic Growth in Malaysia (2020): Uses ARDL and causality models to study hydropower development and growth nexus (ResearchGate).
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Crude Oil Price Volatility & Malaysia’s Growth (2020): Examines macroeconomic variable influences on national growth (ResearchGate).
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Social Enterprises from a Tawhidic Paradigm (2019): Evaluates sustainability within an Islamic social entrepreneurship framework (ResearchGate).
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Magnet-Repellent Effects & Market Microstructure in Malaysia (2019): Provides high-frequency empirical evidence (ResearchGate).
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Waqf Institutions in Muslim Countries (2018): Contributions to institutional management of waqf—highlighted as a book chapter (ResearchGate).
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Trade & Human Development in OIC Countries (2013): Panel data analysis exploring linkages between trade and HDI across OIC nations (SSRN).
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Statistics Made Simple (2004): A co-authored book simplifying statistical concepts for broader audiences (ResearchGate).
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Statistics Made Simple (2004): A foundational text on statistics (ResearchGate).
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The Role of Corporate and Public Entities in Managing Waqf Institutions in Muslim Countries (2018): A significant chapter in waqf studies (ResearchGate).
While specific roles are not published, her profile and ResearchGate activity suggest:
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Active Mentorship: Collaborative research with multiple co-authors indicates supervision and student engagement (ResearchGate).
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Editorial / Peer Review: Engagement with empirical and policy-oriented fields suggests likely service in journal/editorial boards—common among IIUM faculty.
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Conferences & Outreach: Her applied topics, e.g., Islamic finance and social development, hint at participation in knowledge dissemination forums.
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