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Gender, caste and poverty in India: evidence from the National Family Health Survey

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  • William D. Lastrapes

    (University of Georgia)

  • Ramaprasad Rajaram

    (Athena Infonomics
    Social Sciences and Trans-disciplinary Research)

Abstract

This paper estimates the effects of gender and social caste on poverty in India using measures of household wealth from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). Our asset-based measures of poverty are conceptually different than official measures based on consumption expenditures. For the period 2005–2006, we find that female-headed households and households belonging to marginalized social classes are more likely to be poor than their counterparts. Whether a household belongs to marginalized social class is more strongly associated with poverty than the gender of the household head.

Suggested Citation

  • William D. Lastrapes & Ramaprasad Rajaram, 2016. "Gender, caste and poverty in India: evidence from the National Family Health Survey," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 6(2), pages 153-171, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:eurase:v:6:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s40822-015-0043-4
    DOI: 10.1007/s40822-015-0043-4
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    Cited by:

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    2. Steinert, Janina Isabel & Vasumati Satish, Rucha & Stips, Felix & Vollmer, Sebastian, 2022. "Commitment or concealment? Impacts and use of a portable saving device: Evidence from a field experiment in urban India," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 193(C), pages 367-398.
    3. Chhavi Tiwari & Srinivas Goli & Mohammad Zahid Siddiqui & Pradeep S. Salve, 2022. "Poverty, wealth inequality and financial inclusion among castes in Hindu and Muslim communities in Uttar Pradesh, India," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(6), pages 1227-1255, August.
    4. Rini Efrianti & Taufiq Marwa & Nurlina Tarmizi & Saadah Yuliana, 2018. "Growth, Unemployment And Its Implication On Poverty: Empirical Study In Districts/Cities Of South Sumatera Province," Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, Eurasian Publications, vol. 6(4), pages 27-37.
    5. Terese E. Venus & Stephanie Bilgram & Johannes Sauer & Arun Khatri-Chettri, 2022. "Livelihood vulnerability and climate change: a comparative analysis of smallholders in the Indo-Gangetic plains," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 1981-2009, February.
    6. Assem Abu Hatab & Padmaja Ravula & Swamikannu Nedumaran & Carl-Johan Lagerkvist, 2022. "Perceptions of the impacts of urban sprawl among urban and peri-urban dwellers of Hyderabad, India: a Latent class clustering analysis," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(11), pages 12787-12812, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Poverty; Female headed households; Gender inequality; Social caste;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D12 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • I28 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Government Policy
    • I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General Welfare, Well-Being
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General

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