Gender Labor Income Shares and Human Capital Investment in the Republic of Congo

Backiny-Yetna, Prospere and Wodon, Quentin (2010): Gender Labor Income Shares and Human Capital Investment in the Republic of Congo. Published in: Gender Disparities in Africa’s Labor Markets, World Bank, Washington, DC (edited by J. S. Arbache, A. Kolev, and E. Filipiak) (August 2010): pp. 359-380.

Abstract

This paper uses a recent, nationally representative household survey for the Republic of Congo—the 2005 ECOM (Enquête Congolaise auprès des Ménages) survey—to test the unitary model of household consumption. The study finds that a higher labor income share obtained by women does lead to a higher share of household consumption allocated to investments in human capital (as proxied through spending for food, education, health, and children’s clothing). The impact is not negligible and it is statistically significant, suggesting long-term benefits through children from efforts to increase female labor income.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Gender; Labor Income; Consumption Patterns; Republic of Congo
• Subjects: D - Microeconomics > D1 - Household Behavior and Family Economics > D13 - Household Production and Intrahousehold Allocation; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J2 - Demand and Supply of Labor > J22 - Time Allocation and Labor Supply; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J16 - Economics of Gender ; Non-labor Discrimination

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