Abstract

GAYOSO DE ERVIN, Lyliana  and  ERVIN, Paul. An analysis of household education expenditure in Paraguay: gender biases, language gaps, and access to education. Poblac.Desarro. [online]. 2016, vol.22, n.43, pp.13-24. ISSN 2076-054X.  https://doi.org/10.18004/pdfce/2076-054x/2016.022(43)013-024.

Inequalities in educational achievement in Paraguay have been well-documented by geo-graphic location, gender, and language. But little is known about the pattern of household education expenditure in Paraguay. Using the 2011/2012 “Encuesta de Ingresos y Gastos,” this study investigates household gender bias-es within households in allocating educational expenditure, as well as gaps between house-holds in the level of education expenditure in Paraguay using a unified regression framework. A working-Leser model is specified to estimate an Engel curve, which describes a household’s education expenditure as a function of total expenditure and other household characteris-tics. No evidence of gender bias in household education expenditure was found. Gaps in education expenditure by language spoken in the household are not statistically significant after controlling for household resources and geographic location, but the rural-urban gap in educational expenditure remains. The esti-mated total education expenditure elasticities suggest that education is a luxury good. How-ever, the model also suggests that increasing household resources alone will not eliminate gaps in educational expenditure without also improving education quality and access. This is the only known study documenting that ed-ucation, regardless of socioeconomic status, is a luxury good in Paraguay. It also provides empirical evidence that household’s may be shifting from a pro-male to a pro-female bias in education expenditure.

Keywords : economics of education; Engel curve; education elasticity; socioeconomic status.

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