The study investigates the poverty incidence, access to resources, and the factors influencing
income of both male and female-headed households in the dry zone of Myanmar.
A household survey was conducted in six villages with a sample of 220 households in
2003. The Cost of Basic Needs (CBN) method was applied in constructing the absolute
poverty line. By applying the absolute poverty line of 252 Kyats3 per person per day, the
female-headed households are more likely to be poor than the male-headed households
with or without household size adjustment. Results of the regression analysis revealed
that average per capita income of rural households is significantly influenced by 8 independent
variables. They are: gender of household head, household size, land holding
size, degraded land size, cattle heads, labour force, sources of income, and irrigation
water. Moreover, the separate regression analyses were run for male and female-headed
households. In addition to the some common significant variables (land, labour, cattle,
degraded land, and household size), female-headed households’ income is significantly
influenced by training attendance and schooling years of household head. In male-headed
households, age of household head, number of income sources and irrigation water are
highly linked with the average per capita income. The gender focus rural development
strategies should be adopted for promoting the welfare status of both male and femaleheaded
households in the dry zone.