Wife’s Earnings, Child Nutrition, and Gender-Based Violence in Egypt

This paper investigates the “children fare better” view, that children tend to be better fed if their mother has control over household decisions, using three household surveys in Egypt. It suggests an approach which might improve current economic analysis of household spending, by incorporating “Gender-Based Violence”: there appears to be a link between undernutrition of household members, and violence against mothers (violent men often misspend a large fraction of household income on themselves). Child welfare improves dramatically if the child’s mother earns enough for food. Unfortunately, few mothers in Egypt are employed, putting many children at risk. Agencies such as the Egyptian government could protect children, by paying child benefit to mothers or encouraging female employment.