Publication: Gender Issues in Child Labor
Date
2005-08
ISSN
Published
2005-08
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
This note reviews the available evidence
on developing effective policies against child labor,
outlining it requires attention to gender differences among
working children. This is so because standard definitions of
child labor tend to underestimate girls' work, because
economic activities of boys and girls differ by country and
industry; because determinants of child labor may differ by
gender; and, because the consequences of child labor may
differ by gender. A number of policy implications stem from
evidence presented in this note, i.e., that including time
use modules in household surveys would capture unpaid
household chores performed by children, thereby providing
more accurate estimates of total work time; interventions to
reduce child labor should address its specific causes, and
should recognize that these causes may differ by gender. The
determinants of child labor should be examined by running
separate regressions for boys and girls, or by interacting
the gender dummy, with the main explanatory variables.
Furthermore, investing in water infrastructure, providing
low-cost child care, and increasing access to health care
facilities can significantly reduce the time that girls
spend on household chores, thereby increasing their school
attendance. Finally, interventions aimed directly at
increasing children's schooling-such as providing
subsidies for school fees, reducing distance to schools, and
improving school quality-are also likely to reduce the
prevalence of child labor.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2005. Gender Issues in Child Labor. PREM Notes; No. 100. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/11210 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”