Parental Education and Children's School and Work Status in Urban Ethiopia: A Note on Gender Bias

This paper examines gender bias in the parental education–child status link using data from urban Ethiopia. Gender bias is defined here, specifically, as the differential impact of a parent's education on a child's status depending on the gender of the parent vis-à-vis the child. Children's status is measured by school enrolment and participation in market work. Results from a basic model point to same-gender bias – father–son, mother–daughter in school enrolment and father–son in market work. In an extended model, results show that father–son bias in market work may be particularly pertinent for middle- to later-born children. Policy interventions should be mindful of such differential effects, particularly if the aim is to address persistent gender disparities in children's status.