Gender, Agricultural Production, and the Theory of the Household

TLDR

Household resource allocation models assume Pareto efficiency, yet in many African households agricultural plots are controlled by different members, implying that factors should be efficiently allocated across these plots. The study proposes a new intrahousehold allocation model that aligns with observed empirical patterns. The authors develop a model that incorporates the observed lower intensity of plots controlled by women compared to those controlled by men. The analysis shows that women’s plots are farmed much less intensively than men’s, resulting in an estimated 6 % loss of household output due to inefficient factor allocation.

Abstract

Virtually all models of the household assume that the allocation of resources is Pareto efficient. Within many African households, agricultural production occurs on many plots controlled by different members of the household. Pareto efficiency implies that factors should be allocated efficiently across these plots. I find, in contrast, that plots controlled by women are farmed much less intensively than similar plots within the household controlled by men. The estimates imply that about 6 percent of output is lost because of inefficient factor allocation within the household. The paper suggests a new approach to modeling intrahousehold allocation consistent with the empirical results.