2007年-世界发展银行全球_Child_Labor_School_Attendance_and_Intrahousehold_Gender_Bias_in_Brazil_16页_125kb

Summary of "Child Labor, School Attendance, and Intrahousehold Gender Bias in Brazil"

Core Content

This study investigates the role of intrahousehold gender bias in influencing the labor market participation and school attendance of children in Brazil. Using data from the 1998 Brazilian National Household Survey (PNAD), the authors estimate the differential impacts of fathers' and mothers' education on their sons' and daughters' labor and schooling outcomes. The analysis reveals that gender differences in parental influence are significant and that these differences are related to the gender of the child and the parent.

Main Findings

Labor Market Participation

• Fathers' education has a greater negative impact on sons' labor status than on daughters'.
• Fathers' education has a greater impact on sons' labor status than mothers' education.
• Mothers' education has a weaker negative impact on daughters' labor status compared to fathers' education.
• The results suggest that fathers are more influential in deciding whether sons should work, while mothers are more influential in deciding whether daughters should work.

School Attendance

• Mothers' education has a greater positive impact on daughters' school attendance than fathers' education.
• Fathers' education has a greater positive impact on sons' school attendance than on daughters'.
• Fathers' education has a stronger positive effect on sons' school attendance than mothers' education.
• The marginal effect of education on school attendance is higher for children who do not work than for those who do.

Key Information

• Data Source: 1998 Brazilian National Household Survey (PNAD), which includes information on child labor and school attendance for children aged 7–16.
• Sample Selection: Only children from two-parent households are included. Families where the age difference between the head of the household and the oldest child is 14 years or less are excluded.
• Child Labor Definition: A child is considered working if they worked any number of hours during the survey week. A second indicator defines child labor as working 20 hours or more per week.
• Model Used: Bivariate probit and multinomial logit models are employed to analyze the relationship between parental education and child labor/school attendance.
• Empirical Results:
  • The chi-square test confirms that fathers' education has a greater impact on sons' labor status than on daughters'.
  • Mothers' education has a greater impact on daughters' school attendance than on sons'.
  • The marginal effects show that fathers' education is more influential in sons' school attendance, while mothers' education is more influential in daughters' school attendance.
  • The marginal effect of education on school attendance is negative if the child works, possibly due to self-selection or the prioritization of income over education in more educated households.

Policy Implications

• The findings support models of intrahousehold bargaining, where parents with higher education are more likely to influence their children's educational and labor outcomes.
• The study highlights the importance of gender differences in parental decision-making, suggesting that fathers are more likely to favor sons in education and labor decisions, while mothers are more likely to favor daughters.
• These results have policy implications for educational interventions and child labor reduction programs, indicating that targeted strategies may be necessary to address gender-based differences in resource allocation within families.

Theoretical Framework

• The study builds on theoretical models of intrahousehold allocation, such as the family bargaining model and the collective model, which assume that parents may have different preferences and bargaining power.
• The human capital theory is central to the analysis, as it suggests that higher parental education leads to better educational outcomes for children, which in turn affects their labor market participation.
• The differential impact of parental education on children's labor and schooling outcomes is attributed to gender-based preferences and bargaining power within the household.

Conclusion

The study provides compelling evidence of intrahousehold gender bias in the context of child labor and schooling decisions in Brazil. It shows that fathers have a stronger influence on sons, while mothers have a stronger influence on daughters, supporting the idea that parental preferences and bargaining power are not uniform across genders and children. These findings challenge the assumption of a unitary family model and suggest the need for more nuanced models in understanding child labor and education dynamics.