The Interrelationship between Fosterage, Schooling, and Children’s Labor Force Participation in Ghana

Type Journal Article - Population Research and Policy Review
Title The Interrelationship between Fosterage, Schooling, and Children’s Labor Force Participation in Ghana
Author(s)
Volume 24
Issue 5
Publication (Day/Month/Year) 2005
Abstract
This paper examines the interrelationship between fosterage, school attendance, and children’s employment in Ghana. Using the 1991/1992 Living Standards Survey data on children aged 7–17 years and a trivariate probit model, the paper demonstrates that ignoring the linkages between these outcomes leads to downward-biased estimates of the impact of fosterage on schooling and upward-biased estimates of the impact of fosterage on work. Gender and age are important considerations in family decisions regarding children’s activities. Joint decision-making is more common for girls aged 12–17 than for boys of a similar age. A significant negative correlation is also observed between the likelihood of employment and the likelihood of school attendance among adolescent girls.

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