Influence of female and male incomes on food expenditures of Nicaraguan households

Roxana Gómez-Valle

doi:10.5377/aes.v4i1.16441

Authors

Roxana Gómez-Valle Investigadora Independiente, Nicaragua https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8087-2148

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5377/aes.v4i1.16441

Keywords:

incomes, gender, food expenditures, Engel's curve, Nicaragua

Abstract

Many studies have explored whether household income is used in the same way depending on the gender of the person who earns it. However, most of these studies do not include in the analysis multiearner households. This paper attempts to fill this gap in the literature by exploring changes in household food expenditures generated because of a variation in the income earned by women compared to the one earned by men, both in dual-earner nuclear households and in multiearner households. This is an exploratory study and uses the 2014 Nicaragua Living Standard Measurement Study (LSMS) as the source of information. For this purpose, a Food Engel Curve is estimated, using regression analysis, which integrates the notion of gender coalitions of interest as part of the demographic variables. No large differences were found between household food budget allocations when comparing the changes in labour income earned by women and men. The personal characteristics analysed, negatively affect the food expenditures. In contrast, household characteristics, i.e., number of income-earning persons and area of residence, are the main determinants of the increase in household food expenditure. No differences were found between nuclear households and multiearner households.

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References

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