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What about the Women? Female Headship, Poverty and Vulnerability in Thailand and Vietnam

Author

Listed:
  • Stephan Klasen

    (Georg-August-University Göttingen)

  • Tobias Lechtenfeld

    (Georg-August-University Göttingen)

  • Felix Povel

    (Georg-August-University Göttingen)

Abstract

This paper investigates whether heterogeneous subgroups of female-headed households are worse off than traditional households headed by men. We analyze the determinants of consumption, shock exposure and vulnerability to poverty. Using unique panel data of over 4000 rural households from Thailand and Vietnam, we find strong signs of heterogeneity among the subgroups of female-headed households. In particular, in both countries de facto female-headed households are consumption richer and less vulnerable to poverty than households with a male head. In Vietnam de jure female-headed households are consumption poorer and more vulnerable to poverty. In Thailand de jure female-headed households do not differ significantly from male-headed households in terms of the analyzed welfare dimensions. These results show how widows and singles in Vietnam are not well protected against uncertainties. The results also indicate that differentiation by subgroups of headship is important for policy targeting and future research. We interpret this as a first step towards a more complete picture of vulnerability of female-headed households in the developing world.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephan Klasen & Tobias Lechtenfeld & Felix Povel, 2011. "What about the Women? Female Headship, Poverty and Vulnerability in Thailand and Vietnam," Courant Research Centre: Poverty, Equity and Growth - Discussion Papers 76, Courant Research Centre PEG.
    • Handle: RePEc:got:gotcrc:076
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. World Bank, 2007. "Global Monitoring Report 2007 : Millennium Development Goals, Confronting the Challenges of Gender Equality and Fragile States," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6637, December.
    2. Dreze, Jean & Srinivasan, P. V., 1997. "Widowhood and poverty in rural India: Some inferences from household survey data," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(2), pages 217-234, December.
    3. Naude, Wim & Santos-Paulino, Amelia U. & McGillivray, Mark, 2009. "Vulnerability in Developing Countries," WIDER Working Papers rb02-08, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    4. World Bank, "undated". "East Asia and Pacific Update, April 2009 : Battling the Forces of Global Recession," World Bank Publications - Reports 14684, The World Bank Group.
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Michael Rogan, 2013. "Alternative Definitions of Headship and the 'Feminisation' of Income Poverty in Post-Apartheid South Africa," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(10), pages 1344-1357, October.
    2. Harttgen, Kenneth & Klasen, Stephan, 2012. "A Household-Based Human Development Index," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(5), pages 878-899.
    3. Michael Rogan, 2013. "Poverty and Headship in Post-apartheid South Africa, 1997–2006," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 113(1), pages 491-511, August.
    4. Mahnaz Solhi & Marziyeh Hamedan & Masood Salehi, 2016. "Relationship between Quality of Life of Women-Headed Households and Some Related Factors in Iran," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 8(10), pages 250-250, October.
    5. Misganaw Teshager Abeje & Atsushi Tsunekawa & Nigussie Haregeweyn & Zemen Ayalew & Zerihun Nigussie & Daregot Berihun & Enyew Adgo & Asres Elias, 2020. "Multidimensional Poverty and Inequality: Insights from the Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 149(2), pages 585-611, June.
    6. Juan Armando Torres Munguía, 2018. "What is behind homicide gender gaps in Mexico? A spatial semiparametric approach," Ibero America Institute for Econ. Research (IAI) Discussion Papers 236, Ibero-America Institute for Economic Research.
    7. Michael Rogan, 2012. "Poverty and headship in post-apartheid South Africa, 1997-2008," Working Papers 288, Economic Research Southern Africa.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Gender; Poverty; Shocks; Vulnerability to Poverty;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • I39 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Other
    • O12 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Microeconomic Analyses of Economic Development

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