8th Economics & Finance Conference, London

GENDER BIAS IN TIME POVERTY: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM LAOS

KEUANGKHAM SISENGNAM

Abstract:

There is a growing interest in understanding gender inequality in the allocation of resources. There are a number of studies mainly focusing on this issue by using the monetary measure. Due to the presence of time use data in the fourth round of the Lao Expenditure and Consumption Survey (LECS), it allows this study shed light on poverty and inequality between males and females in another dimension. The traditional technique for the analysis of income or consumption poverty is utilized to assess time-poor status. The findings illustrate that females are more likely to suffer time poverty more than their counterpart. The proportion of males and females who are time poor is relatively larger in urban than rural areas. This is compatible with the empirical results estimated by the Logistic Model. Individuals living in the urban area have a higher probability of being time poor, whereas they are less likely during rainy season. The probability of being time poor is significantly determined by ethnicity, education and marital status. There is a strong correlation between the proportion of infant in household and time poverty, an additional infant member is likely to substantially push adult females into time-poor status.

Keywords: Gender, inequality, time, poverty, Laos

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