Abstract
ABSTRACTLiterature on household headship has, by and large, tended to homogenize female-headed households (FHHs). This study presents a mixed-methods approach disaggregating the experiences of female-headed households (FHHs) in the post-conflict period in Nepal. One of four households in Nepal is estimated to be headed by a woman, either due to conflict-related male deaths (de jure, or widow heads) or men's out-migration (de facto, or wives of migrants). The study examines similarities and differences in the work responsibilities and labor market participation of de jure and de facto female heads using quantitative data from the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS) and qualitative data collected through fieldwork in Nepal. While both types of households share some similar concerns, de jure and de facto female heads face different challenges in negotiating their everyday household and labor market roles. Findings inform policy interventions that can be specifically targeted toward each type of household.
Highlights
Through the 1980s and 1990s, concerns around feminization of poverty led to several studies seeking to find a correlation between female household headship, vulnerability to poverty, and socio-economic marginalization in developed as well as developing countries (Kossoudji and Mueller 1983; Rosenhouse 1988; Buvinic and Gupta 1997)
We examine similarities and differences in the work responsibilities and labor market participation of de jure and de facto female heads using quantitative data from the Nepal Living Standards Surveys (NLSS) and qualitative data collected through fieldwork in Nepal
We use quantitative data from the Nepal Living Standards Survey (2011) (NLSS III) to identify differences in the work responsibilities and labor market participation between these two categories of female heads, as well as qualitative data collected through fieldwork in Nepal to shed light on the factors determining these differences
Summary
Please let us know how Open Access to this research benefits you We examine similarities and differences in the work responsibilities and labor market participation of de jure and de facto female heads using quantitative data from the Nepal Living Standards Surveys (NLSS) and qualitative data collected through fieldwork in Nepal.
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