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Household investment in durable appliances and outcomes for children: Evidence from China

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  • Kerr, Amanda

Abstract

Does the ownership of time-saving household appliances have a positive impact on children’s outcomes? I use micro-level data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey from 1989 through 2011 to infer that ownership of time-saving household appliances results in a decrease in time allocated to household work, increase in school enrollment rates, and decrease in labor force participation rates for children aged 12 to 18. When the sample is partitioned on the basis of gender, these outcomes are more pronounced among females. To deal with endogeneity of household durable goods, I instrument household ownership of time-saving appliances by average ownership rate among households with no children living in the same community and two family-specific time-using household assets. With gender equality and women’s empowerment being a top priority among developing countries according to the United Nations, the results presented in this paper suggest one effective way to increase girls’ school enrollment is to reduce their household obligations. Time-saving appliances are tools that can provide the requisite decrease in time dedicated to household work. This study is the first to estimate the effect of time-saving technologies on child outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Kerr, Amanda, 2019. "Household investment in durable appliances and outcomes for children: Evidence from China," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(C), pages 110-127.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:58:y:2019:i:c:p:110-127
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2019.04.010
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Wei & Liu, Hong, 2023. "Early childhood exposure to health insurance and adolescent outcomes: Evidence from rural China," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 160(C).
    2. Kerr, Amanda, 2023. "A shortage of brides: China’s one child policy and transitions of men into marriage," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 77(3), pages 310-321.
    3. Fareena Noor Malhi, 2022. "Going beyond the surface: heterogeneous effect of on-site water access for women," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(2), pages 461-491, July.
    4. Junhui Shi & Fang Wang & Huan Wang, 2022. "The Effect of Household Technology on Child Health: Evidence from China’s “Home Appliances Going to the Countryside” Policy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-19, September.
    5. Bhargava Smriti & Kerr Amanda, 2022. "The effect of time-saving household appliance ownership on outcomes for children and married women: evidence from India," IZA Journal of Labor Policy, Sciendo & Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 12(1), pages 1-42, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Household appliances; Home production; Child outcomes; China;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply

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