The effects of rural and urban areas on time allocated in self-employment: differences between men and women

This study investigates the association of the rural-urban divide and the time individuals allocate in self-employment. The empirical analysis uses fixed effects modelling on data from the UK Household Longitudinal Survey over the period 2009-2019. The study identifies significant differences in the time men and women allocate in self-employment between rural and urban areas according to their career age group. While men and women tend to allocate more time in self-employment in their senior career age when residents of urban areas, the time they allocate in self-employment between rural and urban areas in early- and mid-career age differs markedly. More importantly, we find that significant differences exist not only between residents of rural and urban areas, but also between residents of these areas and in-migrants to these areas. We find a significant positive effect on the time senior career age women who migrate to rural areas allocate in self-employment. In contrast, we find that early career men who move from rural to urban areas allocate significantly more time in self-employment. The results reveal the existence of complex dynamics between gender and age, which affect the allocation of time in self-employment between rural and urban areas.