Gender and household education expenditure in Pakistan

Abstract

Identifying the sources of pro-male biasness in households across Pakistan and ascertaining the reasons that explain higher allocation of educational resources to males than to females. 

The objective of the paper is to explore the gender biasness that exist in allocation of educational household expenditure and it further examines the failure of standard Engel curve to depict differential gender treatment even though there is strong evidences of such treatment being present in Pakistan. Data from Pakistan Integrated Household Survey (PIHS 2001–2002) is exploited and analysis of statistics reveals that gender gaps in schooling for girls and boys exist throughout Pakistan, although this differential treatment is more visible in Balochistan, NWFP and FATA, and in rural areas. Application of Hurdle model on individual level data indicates that bias within households arises in two forms namely in terms of enrollment/retention decision and in allocation of expenditure which is provisional on enrollment of daughters or sons in schools. Within middle and secondary school age, both types of pro-male bias are found whereas in primary school age pro-male bias related to enrollment/retention decision is depicted. 

The study concludes that bias treatment arises as a result of higher total labor market returns for men as opposed to women and this provides an incentive for parents to invest in sons in contrast to daughters. The cultural norms result in economic benefits of education of daughters to be realized by in-laws as opposed to parents who become reliant on sons in old age and this explains the reason for wide gender gap in educational expenditure.  

Publishing Year: 2010

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