The impact of female off-farm wage employment on children's school enrolment in Lesotho

Using data from the Lesotho-Household Budget Survey (HBS) 2017, this paper analyses the impact of female off-farm wage employment on children's school enrolment. The paper focuses on the rural areas, where 58% of the population is concentrated. The theoretical model is based on the household bargaining model. Empirical analysis employs various econometric techniques - the probit model, the IV probit model and the Heckman selection model. The findings point to a positive effect of female off-farm wage employment on child schooling. Relative to their counterparts, children from households with female off-farm wage employment are 5% more likely to be enrolled in school. Other factors such as the age and gender of a child, age, education and gender of the household head are also found to be important for child schooling. Furthermore, the results show that female off-farm wage employment is more important for boys than girls. The school enrolment of boys in the rural areas of Lesotho is inhibited by various factors, which explains their low school enrolment rates vis-à-vis those of girls. The results have implications for policies aimed at increasing participation in school and ensuring equality in access to education for all sexes in Lesotho.