Marriage and female labour supply in Brunei Darussalam: A case study of urban women in Bandar Seri Begawan

We analyse the relationships between marriage and female labour supply for urban householders in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital city of Brunei Darussalam in Southeast Asia. This analysis is based on a survey of 151 adult women. We establish that age, total number of career work position(s) held, expressing the degree of labour mobility, and the level of educational attainment influence participation of women (both married and single) in formal labour markets. A major factor influencing the likelihood of married women working is the number of their children below the age of 18. Higher propensity to work occurs with decreasing number of children. Wage incomes of working women are largely determined by the level of educational attainment, work experience and social class status. Married women are more likely to work than unmarried women and on average earn about 53% more than unmarried women assuming other things constant. The main factors influencing the value of time in marriage of currently married women are the income of husband, their work experience, educational attainment and age. This value decreases with increasing age of the woman spouse but it increases with higher levels of work experience and educational attainment of the woman, and higher income of her husband.