Labor participation of women and economic developmentrelationship: Case of EU countries

Labor force is an important production factor in achieving economic growth and development. The total labor force of a country is composed of men and women who are able to work (15-64 years). Although the share of women in the labor force lags behind that of men in many countries, it is seen that today, the policies related to economic growth focus on increasing women's labor force participation and productivity. In particular, the European Union attaches special importance to increasing female employment and aims to increase the share of female employment in total employment to 75% for the year 2020. In this context, this study examines the relationship between female labor force participation and economic development in European Union countries. The annual data of the 20 European Union countries for which the regular data set has been reached constitute the sample of the study. The generated model of the sample was estimated by panel data regression analysis. According to the findings of the analysis, there is a significant positive relationship between economic development and female labor force participation. It is important that the European Union countries participating in the analysis implement policies that increase women's labor force participation in line with their economic growth and development goals. Key words: Female Labor Force Participation, Economic Development, Panel Data Analysis