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“Gender Shock†and Household Labor Allocation: Dowry and Labor Migration in Pakistan

Author

Listed:
  • Cheema, Ahmed Raza

    (University of Sargodha)

  • Coxhead, Ian

    (University of Wisconsin-Madison,)

Abstract

Dowry is a cultural practice, ubiquitous in South Asia, in which the bride’s family provides gifts and payments to the groom’s family at the time of marriage. Using data from Pakistan we find that the presence in a household of unmarried girls and young women is a very strong predictor of propensity to receive remittances from family members working elsewhere. Boys have no such effect. This is consistent with household labor reallocation in response to the need to generate savings for dowry expenses. The strength of the gender shock is modified in predictable ways by variation over wealth, location and migrant destinations.

Suggested Citation

  • Cheema, Ahmed Raza & Coxhead, Ian, 2019. "“Gender Shock†and Household Labor Allocation: Dowry and Labor Migration in Pakistan," Staff Paper Series 593, University of Wisconsin, Agricultural and Applied Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecl:wisagr:593
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • J12 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Marriage; Marital Dissolution; Family Structure
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

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