Oferta de trabajo infantil y el trabajo en los quehaceres del hogar[The supply of child labor and household work]

Traditionally we have studied the problem of child labor as the counterpart of school attendance. However, most studies have ignored the potential importance of household work performed by children at home. Given that children from certain age may perform these activities, and because child labor is a hidden activity and usually outside the law, it is possible that in a family, children replace their old parents in household chores that would allow parents work longer hours to increase household income. For this reason, the study of supply of child labor cannot be detached from a study of determinants of demand for labor in household work performed by minors at home. In this paper I propose that parents' wages, the income of working children and other components of household income affect the allocation of children's time between working in a paid economic activity, domestic activities at home and school activities. Econometric results confirm that these variables, among others, determine number of hours children spend on household chores and paid work.