Purpose: This study investigates the impact of women’s economic participation on the resources and expenditures of the Iranian Social Security Organization (SSO) and estimates the organization’s lost revenues due to women’s non-participation in the labor market across Iranian provinces.
Methods: In order to evaluate the impact of women's economic participation on the revenues and expenditures of the Social Security Organization, this study estimates two regression equations using the spatial Durbin econometric technique. The model considers provincial-level data across Iran during the period 2011–2021 (1390–1400 in the Iranian calendar), taking into account both the revenue and expenditure structures of the Social Security Organization.
Results: Findings indicate that a one-percentage-point increase in women’s economic participation in Iranian provinces leads to an estimated increase of 2,534,215 million IRR in the organization’s revenues and 1,283,637 million IRR in its expenditures. During 2011–2021, when the average women’s participation rate was 14.17%, the estimated lost revenues due to women’s low participation amounted to 217,511,673 million IRR.
Conclusion: Increasing women’s economic participation contributes to a greater rise in SSO resources compared to expenditures. Conversely, women’s non-participation results in significant resource losses for the organization. Therefore, it is recommended that policymakers implement comprehensive economic, social, and cultural strategies to enhance women’s employment opportunities and promote their participation in the formal labor market.