HOW TOURISM, GLOBALIZATION, AND EDUCATION DRIVE WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT IN SERVICE SECTORS? EVIDENCE FROM THE INDO-PACIFIC COUNTRIES

Abstract

The primary aim of this study is to investigate the significance of tourism, globalization, foreign direct investment (FDI), exports, and education on women's employment in the service sectors in selected Indo-Pacific countries. This study uses balanced panel data from 1991 to 2022 in its methodology. To achieve the results, the fixed and random effect models were applied as a baseline model, and the GLS model was used to check for robustness. The findings suggest that enhancing the tourism industry significantly impacts women's employment in service sectors; fostering globalization and increasing FDI can also considerably improve women's employment. Tourism significantly influences women's employment in the service industries of Australia, India, Japan, the Philippines, and Thailand. Globalization has exerted a substantial and beneficial influence in eight countries. Foreign direct investment has a beneficial impact on just three countries: China, Singapore, and Vietnam. Foreign direct investment (FDI) impedes female employment in the service industries of India and Thailand. Exports enhance female employment in Australia, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. Education has a positive impact on women's employment in China, Japan, the Philippines, and New Zealand. The quality of education adversely affects women's employment in Thailand. The adverse effect of exports on female employment warrants further investigation to understand underlying causes and develop targeted policies. The study also examined the performance of individual countries, finding that tourism and globalization positively influence women's employment in Australia, Indonesia, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and New Zealand. This research contributes and provides precious insights for policymakers to promote comprehensive economic growth and women's empowerment in the Indo-Pacific region.