Early Effects of the COVID-19 Lockdown on Children in Rural Bangladesh

Using data collected through a telephone-based survey in rural Bangladesh during the height of the pandemic, we present evidence on the effects of the COVID-19 led lockdown and school closures in Bangladesh on rural children, focusing on three child-related outcomes: time use of children during the school closure, plans regarding children's schooling continuation, and the incidence of child marriages. Our analysis reveals heterogeneity in the effects of the lockdown and school closure in terms of the gender of the child and the type of shock (e.g. illness, job loss, the return of a migrant, etc.). We find a decrease in children's study time and an increase in time spent on household activities such as caring for others and chores during the school closure, but these changes were significantly larger for girls than for boys. Within the household, respiratory illness lowered expectations that a child would return to school and increased the probability of marriage-related discussions for female children. Our findings offer a cautionary tale regarding the potential long-term effects of the pandemic for girls in developing countries like Bangladesh, that highlights the urgent need for policymakers to take appropriate counter measures to preserve recent achievements in education and child rights, including gender parity in education and increase in the age at marriage.