Title: "The Effect of Domestic Work on Girls' Schooling: Evidence from Egypt"
From: Journal of Feminist Economics (Feminist Economics); Volume 16 Issue 1; January 2010
Authors: Ragui Assaad, University of Minnesota-Humphrey Institute; Deborah Levison, University of Minnesota-Humphrey Institute; Nadia Zibani, Poverty, Gender, and Youth Program, Population Council, Cairo, Egypt
Abstract:
In Egypt, girls' work primarily takes the form of domestic tasks, which are not considered in many studies of child labor. This paper investigates the effect of girls' work on their school attendance. It uses a modified bivariate probit approach to estimate the effect of work on schooling while allowing for the simultaneous determination of the two outcomes. It presents evidence that the substantial burden of girls' domestic work leads to lower rates of school attendance. Policies that attempt to ban the labor-force work of children will have practically no effect on girls' education in Egypt, while interventions reducing the drudgery of household labor through, for example, improved water and sanitation infrastructure, have better prospects for success.
