Household structure, gender and the economic determinants of school attendance in Argentina

Abstract

This paper explores the role played by household structure and gender on the decision to send children to school in Argentina. We explore the determinants of the education patterns of boys and of girls based on the gender of the individuals who make (or influence) the school attendance decision, and the economic and social household structure in which this decision is evaluated. The results of this paper suggest that differences in family structure influence the way children are educated beyond their effect on family income. Gender considerations like the gender of the head of the family or the sex of the child are found to have important implications regarding the schooling decision.