Adolescents' Involvement in Care Work, School Attendance, and Academic Achievement: Evidence from the Young Lives Survey in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam (2009-2016)

Maïmouna Bah, Population Council
Erica Soler-Hampejsek
George Odwe, Population Council
Karen Austrian, Population Council - Kenya

The disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women and girls significantly contributes to school dropout, low academic performance, and reduced female labor participation. This paper examines adolescents’ involvement in unpaid care work and its effects on educational outcomes in Ethiopia, India, Peru, and Vietnam, using longitudinal data from the Young Lives Survey of a cohort of 2,000 children per country. Multivariate regression is used to assess the effect of care work on education outcomes (literacy, numeracy, school attendance, and grade attainment). Preliminary findings show that girls consistently spend more time in care work than boys, with the largest gender gap in Ethiopia. Although school attendance is generally high, Ethiopia lags behind, with only 63.9% of boys enrolled (age 8). Across all countries, girls have higher grade attainment at older ages despite fluctuations in attendance. In India, excessive care work at age 12 significantly reduces girls' likelihood of attending school at age 15 and is associated with lower grade attainment and vocabulary scores. In Ethiopia, both boys and girls school attendance and grade attainment are affected by care work, though the impacts are slightly less severe. Overall, care work affects girls more than boys, but the severity varies by country.

Keywords: Human Capital, Education, and Work, Children, Adolescents, and Youth, Inequality, Disadvantage and Discrimination

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