Children's Work and Schooling : Does Gender Matter? Evidence from the Peru LSMS Panel Data

Ilahi, Nadeem

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: CHILD LABOR;    GIRLS' EDUCATION;    ECONOMETRIC MODELS;    HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS;    INCOME GENERATION;   

DOI  :  10.1596/1813-9450-2745
RP-ID  :  WPS2745

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Using panel data from Peru, the authorinvestigates the determinants of the allocation ofboys' and girls' time to schooling, housework, andincome-generating activities. Specifically, she exploreswhether sickness, female headship, access to infrastructure,and employment of women in the household have differentimpacts on the time use of boys and girls. Girls mostlyengage in housework, and boys mostly work outside the home.As a work activity, housework responds to economicincentives and constraints. The author's econometricfindings suggest that changes in household welfare affectgirls' work and schooling more than boys'. Eventhough boys' and girls' educational attainmentrates are the same, girls' education responds more tochanges in household welfare than does boys'.Similarly, girls are more likely than boys to adjust theirhome time in response to changes in adult female employmentand to sickness of household members. Lack of access toenergy infrastructure lowers the educational attainment ofboth boys and girls but has little affect on their labor.The traditional approach to the determinants of child laborand education excludes housework and may understatechildren's time use, particularly that of girls. It maytherefore also overlook an important gender dimension ofeducation policy. Safety nets that protect household incomesfrom employment shocks and sickness, and childcare programsthat allow women to work, would reduce the likelihood ofgirls being pulled out of school.