Children's labor force activity and schooling in Brazil.

Abstract

This dissertation explores the allocation of children's time in a developing country, Brazil. The central thesis is that children's participation in economic and educational activities is determined largely by the economic position of the household, although the demand for child labor and the supply of public schooling may also play important roles. The Brazilian data used for this study, one of the annual Pesquisas Nacional de Amostra de Domicilios (PNAD) is exceptional in both quantity and quality and, in 1985, includes a unique supplement on the activities of children and adolescents in major metropolitan areas. Overall, the study estimates employment rates in metropolitan areas that are relatively low: the average for 10-14 year olds is 10.4 percent. Rates are substantially higher for boys, nonwhites, and children in the poorest households, than for girls, whites, or children in the highest income households. Children who work often work long hours but both wages and earnings are very low. Nevertheless, their earnings are an important component of their families' total income (15 percent on average). Workers are much less likely than nonworkers to be in school, although the majority of workers attend school. Multivariate probit regressions show that children's time allocation responds to economic and demographic factors. Some combinations of child and household characteristics can have substantial effects on the likelihood that a child works and/or does not attend school. For example, the predicted probability of employment for an average 10-14 year old was 3.5 percent but 11 percent for 10-14 year olds in the bottom two income deciles. The effects of family composition are among the most interesting and important findings. As the number of children in a family increases, the likelihood that any particular child will be employed also increases; the effect of 0-6 year olds on older siblings is particularly strong. Older children's activities are affected asymmetrically by the presence of school-aged brothers and sisters in conjunction with the presence of younger children. These effects are consistent with a sex-linked allocation of household chores, child care, and market employment.