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Endowments or Discrimination? Determinants of Household Poverty in Egypt

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  • Shireen AlAzzawi

    (Santa Clara University)

Abstract

This paper investigates whether there is feminization of poverty in Egypt and examines the determinants of poverty by household type. Furthermore, it decomposes the poverty differential between the various household types into a component due to endowments and another due to the return to these endowments. The paper uses data from five Household Income, Expenditure and Consumption Surveys, that span a period of far-reaching economic, social and political changes, from 1999 to 2013. Results suggest that female headed households are indeed poorer than male headed households over the period. They are, however, less poor than married couple households. Initially, endowments were more important in explaining the poverty differentials between the various family types, however in more recent years the returns to these endowments, or the treatment effect, became the dominant factor. This suggests the need for policies to ensure more equitable returns to endowments for the poor.

Suggested Citation

  • Shireen AlAzzawi, 2015. "Endowments or Discrimination? Determinants of Household Poverty in Egypt," Working Papers 931, Economic Research Forum, revised Aug 2015.
    • Handle: RePEc:erg:wpaper:931
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shireen Al Azzawi, 2010. "The Dynamics of Poverty and Inequality in an Era of Economic Liberalization: The Case of Egypt," Working Papers 539, Economic Research Forum, revised 09 Jan 2010.
    2. Fatma El-Hamidi, 2008. "Trade Liberalization, Gender Segmentation, and Wage Discrimination: Evidence from Egypt," Working Papers 414, Economic Research Forum, revised 06 Jan 2008.
    3. World Bank, 2007. "Arab Republic of Egypt : Poverty Assessment Update, Volume 1. Main Report," World Bank Publications - Reports 7642, The World Bank Group.
    4. Oaxaca, Ronald, 1973. "Male-Female Wage Differentials in Urban Labor Markets," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 14(3), pages 693-709, October.
    5. Fatma El-Hamidi & Mona Said, 2014. "Gender-based wage and occupational inequality in the new millenium in Egypt," Journal of Developing Areas, Tennessee State University, College of Business, vol. 48(1), pages 21-41, January-M.
    6. World Bank, 2007. "Arab Republic of Egypt : Poverty Assessment Update, Volume 2. Annexes," World Bank Publications - Reports 7640, The World Bank Group.
    7. Shireen AlAzzawi, 2013. "Did Trade Liberalization Benefit Female Workers? Evidence on Wage and Employment Effects from Egypt," Working Papers 787, Economic Research Forum, revised Oct 2013.
    8. Alan S. Blinder, 1973. "Wage Discrimination: Reduced Form and Structural Estimates," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 8(4), pages 436-455.
    9. Joan R. Rodgers, 1991. "Female-Headed Families: Why Are They So Poor?," Economics Working Paper Archive wp_45, Levy Economics Institute.
    10. Fatma El-Hamidi, 2007. "Have Economic Reforms Paid Off? Gender Occupational Inequality in the New Millennium in Egypt," Working Paper 338, Department of Economics, University of Pittsburgh, revised Feb 2008.
    11. Shireen AlAzzawi, 2016. "Did Trade Liberalization Benefit Female Workers? Evidence from Egypt on Wage and Employment Effects," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Nadereh Chamlou & Massoud Karshenas (ed.), Women, Work and Welfare in the Middle East and North Africa The Role of Socio-demographics, Entrepreneurship and Public Policies, chapter 16, pages 445-477, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    12. Buvinic, Mayra & Gupta, Geeta Rao, 1997. "Female-Headed Households and Female-Maintained Families: Are They Worth Targeting to Reduce Poverty in Developing Countries?," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 45(2), pages 259-280, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Racha Ramadan & Vladimir Hlasny & Vito Intini, 2018. "Inter‐Group Expenditure Gaps In The Arab Region And Their Determinants: Application To Egypt, Jordan, Palestine And Tunisia," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 64(s1), pages 145-188, October.

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