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Intrahousehold Allocation of Household Production: A Comparative Analysis for Sub-Saharan African Countries

Author

Listed:
  • Fernando Rios-Avila
  • Abena D. Oduro
  • Luiza Nassif-Pires

Abstract

In this working paper, we analyze factors that may explain gender differences in the allocation of time to household production in sub-Saharan Africa. The study uses time use survey data to analyze the determinants of time spent on household production by husbands and wives in nuclear families in Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, and South Africa. We assume that the time spent by each spouse is a function of personal and household characteristics. A bivariate Tobit model is used to estimate the marginal impact of a set of key variables that figure recurrently in the literature on time allocation. We observe a high degree of variability in the results for the set of countries, which does not allow us to draw hard general conclusions. We do find some weak evidence that supports time availability and gender ideology theory as well as for the hypothesis that bargaining power plays a role in explaining the intrahousehold allocation of household production.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando Rios-Avila & Abena D. Oduro & Luiza Nassif-Pires, 2021. "Intrahousehold Allocation of Household Production: A Comparative Analysis for Sub-Saharan African Countries," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_983, Levy Economics Institute.
    • Handle: RePEc:lev:wrkpap:wp_983
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Time Use; Household Production; Economics of the Family; Gender;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation
    • D61 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Allocative Efficiency; Cost-Benefit Analysis
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • C34 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models; Switching Regression Models

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