Center-Based Child Care and Differential Improvements In the Child Development Outcomes of Disadvantaged Children.

BACKGROUND: Research finds center-based child care typically benefits children of low socio-economic status (SES) but few studies have examined if it also reduces inequalities in developmental disadvantage. OBJECTIVE: I test if the length of time in center-based care between ages one and three years associates with child development scores at age three years, focusing on the impact for groups of children in the lower tercile of child development scores and in the lower SES tercile. METHODS: Using data from 1,606 children collected in a nationally representative Chilean survey, I apply a value-added approach to measure gains in child development scores between age one and three years that are associated with length of time in center-based child care. RESULTS: Disadvantages at age one year were associated with lower child development scores at age three years. No benefits of additional time in center-based care were found for the non-disadvantaged group, but positive associations were found between more time in center-based care and child development outcomes for children with the SES disadvantage only. Center-based care was not associated with child development trajectories of children with lower child development scores at age one year, no matter their SES status. CONCLUSIONS: There is evidence that Chilean center-based child care reduces SES inequality in child development scores between ages one and three years, but only if children already were not low-scorers at age one year.

Do health sector measures of violence against women at different levels of severity correlate? Evidence from Brazil.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate if characteristics of reports of violence against women at different levels of severity are similar and to test if their prevalence is correlated at the municipal level. METHODS: I use data from women ages 15-49 who were killed by homicide in Brazil's national death registry (N = 14,373), were hospitalized for aggression (N = 14,701), or were included in the medical mandatory reports of incidents of violence against women (N = 42,134) between 2011 and 2016 in select municipalities. I provide national level descriptive statistics from 2016 contrasting distributions of victims (age, education, and race) and distributions of the characteristics of the incidents (location and time of day). Then, for 63 municipalities with a high number of violent incidents, I calculate the correlation coefficients between measures of violence against women using quarterly data from 2011 to 2016. I use multiple regression of municipal characteristics at baseline to examine which factors (poverty, spending, health, and civic engagement) predict the correlation. RESULTS: Victim characteristics and incident characteristics are similar across the measures of violence at the national level. Despite these aggregate similarities, correlations at the municipal level are quite varied, ranging from - 0.69 to 0.83. I find no municipal characteristics that consistently predict these correlation coefficients. CONCLUSIONS: Despite some similarities at an aggregate level, these measures of violence against women do not have consistent patterns of correlation at the municipality level. Measures of severe levels of violence against women are not good proxies for incidence of violence at less severe physical levels. Lack of correlations could be due to differences in reporting, but may also be due to differences in underlying processes that share similar victims and event characteristics.

Mothers' and grandmothers' caregiving for young children in Chile: Roles and responsibilities.

Chile has the highest rates of grandparent caregiving of young children among Western countries. However, there is limited information on (a) how mothers and grandmothers share caregiving responsibilities, (b) if mother's care for children differs across different types of grandmother support, and (c) the perceived roles that grandmothers have as caregivers. Through a mixed-methods approach, we seek to explore the areas mentioned above. Using a nationally representative survey (N = 4,288), we compare the frequency with which mothers participate in activities with their children ages 1-5 years by the degree of grandmother participation. We find that mothers participate in activities with their children and in their functional care at similar levels across grandmother caregiving types. The main exception is mothers with coresiding grandmothers taking a secondary caregiver role: These mothers reported a higher frequency of activities with their children than mothers with other types of grandmother involvement, even those who had majority caregiving or irregular caregiving grandmothers. In-depth interviews with mothers and grandmothers reveal how they share the caregiving responsibilities, which depend on the mother's work status, with families with working mothers having more involved grandmothers. The grandmother's level of responsibilities, in turn, seems to shape their perceived role as caregivers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Crop diversity is associated with higher child diet diversity in Ethiopia, particularly among low-income households, but not in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVES: To examine associations of household crop diversity with school-aged child dietary diversity in Vietnam and Ethiopia and mechanisms underlying these associations. DESIGN: We created a child diet diversity score (DDS) using data on seven food groups consumed in the last 24 h. Generalised estimating equations were used to model associations of household-level crop diversity, measured as a count of crop species richness (CSR) and of plant crop nutritional functional richness (CNFR), with DDS. We examined effect modification by household wealth and subsistence orientation, and mediation by the farm's market orientation. SETTING: Two survey years of longitudinal data from the Young Lives cohort. PARTICIPANTS: Children (aged 5 years in 2006 and 8 years in 2009) from rural farming households in Ethiopia (n 1012) and Vietnam (n 1083). RESULTS: There was a small, positive association between household CNFR and DDS in Ethiopia (CNFR-DDS, ß = 0·13; (95 % CI 0·07, 0·19)), but not in Vietnam. Associations of crop diversity and child diet diversity were strongest among poor households in Ethiopia and among subsistence-oriented households in Vietnam. Agricultural earnings positively mediated the crop diversity-diet diversity association in Ethiopia. DISCUSSION: Children from households that are poorer and those that rely more on their own agricultural production for food may benefit most from increased crop diversity.

A conditional cash transfer and Women's empowerment: Does Bolsa Familia Influence intimate partner violence?

We apply mixed methods to explore how a conditional cash transfer (CCT) may influence intimate partner violence (IPV). Qualitative interviews with female beneficiaries of Bolsa Familia, Brazil's CCT program, and service providers suggest positive, negative, and null associations between CCTs and IPV are all plausible. These associations result from a combination of economic and psychological motivations. We also use quantitative methods to examine if the expansion of Bolsa Familia between 2004 and 2009 affects the female homicide rate and marital separations. Using municipal level data in a difference-in-differences analysis, we find null associations between Bolsa Familia and female homicides. When we examine the impact on marriages and separations, indicative of a change in the reservation utility of women within the household, we find no impact on marriages but Bolsa Familia is associated with an increase in separations, and, to a greater extent, separations of couples with children. These results suggest Bolsa Familia impacts women's agency within the family, but not to the extent that it reduces the most extreme form of IPV.

Can a conditional cash transfer reduce teen fertility? The case of Brazil's Bolsa Familia.

In 2008, Brazil's conditional cash transfer program expanded to cover a wider range of ages. Poor families are now given stipends for their children's school attendance up to age seventeen, whereas prior the maximum age was fifteen. Using a nationally representative household survey, we estimate the impact of this policy on teen fertility with a triple difference analysis on the fertility outcomes of treated cohorts vs. non-treated cohorts based on income eligibility, age eligibility, and timing of program implementation. We find a three percentage point drop in fertility among eligible teens within five years of program implementation. This offsets the difference in fertility between poor and non-poor teens. The impact is concentrated in urban areas, with no program effects found in rural areas. We are able to replicate these findings using National Birth Registry Data.

Sex of children and family structure in Brazil: father & grandmother bias?

Brazil has a high rate of mothers living without a partner as well as a high intergenerational co-residence rate, including parents and grandparents. These family types may influence a child's well-being. Even though there is no evidence of sex-selective abortion in Brazil, sex preference could still be subtly present. This paper tests the composition of family structure (father co-residence, grandmother co-residence, and birth of siblings) in Brazil associated with the sex of the child by using a nationally representative household survey, treating sex of the first and second child as exogenous variables in OLS regressions. I found women with lower birth-order daughters are less likely to live with a partner. I also found suggestive evidence that maternal grandmothers are more likely to live with granddaughters than with grandsons. Women with lower birth-order daughters are more likely to have additional children. Evidence suggests that in Brazil, fathers show a preference for sons over daughters, while grandmothers show a preference for granddaughters over grandsons. Additionally, mothers of girls, without co-residing partners may compensate for the economic loss caused by their lack of partner by living with their own mother. This contributes to the literature on child sex preferences, which has mostly focused on males (fathers); I have analyzed data on grandmothers to include females.

SEXO DA CRIANÇA E ESTRUTURA DOMICILIAR NO BRASIL VIÉS DOS PAIS E DOS AVÓS?: O Brasil tem um alto índice de mulheres vivendo sozinhas com seus filhos e de domicílios intergeracionais, nos quais há presença de pais e avós. A estrutura domiciliar pode influenciar o desenvolvimento infantil. Apesar de o Brasil não apresentar evidências de aborto seletivo por sexo, a preferência por gênero ainda pode estar sutilmente presente. Testamos se a corresidência com o pai, a corresidência com a avó e o nascimento de um próximo filho estão associados com o sexo das crianças no Brasil. Usando uma amostra representativa nacionalmente, foram realizadas regressões OLS, considerando o sexo do primeiro e do segundo filho como variáveis exógenas. Mulheres com filhas em menor ordem de nascimento são mais propensas a serem solteiras. Encontraram-se evidências de que as avós maternas são mais propensas a viver com netas do que com netos, o que pode amenizar as perdas econômicas da falta da presença do pai no domicílio. As mulheres com filhas em menor ordem de nascimento são mais propensas a terem filhos adicionais, sugerindo a preferência por filho homem. A literatura anterior tem um enfoque na presença do pai. Aqui inclui-se a avó para aumentar a perspectiva feminina. Estes dados contribuem para a literatura em relação à preferência pelo sexo das crianças, que se concentra na análise da figura masculina (pais); analisamos dados sobre as avós para incluir mulheres.

EL SEXO DEL NIÑO Y LA ESTRUCTURA DEL HOGAR EN BRASIL ¿PREFERENCIAS DE PADRES Y ABUELAS?: +Estos dos tipos de organizaciones familiares podrían influir en el bienestar de los niños. Aunque no hay evidencia en Brasil de preferencias de en aborto selectivo con base en el género, es posible que estas preferencias se presenten de manera más sutil. En este estudio se analiza si la estructura del hogar (corresidencia con el padre, corresidencia con la abuela y el nacimiento de los siguientes hijos) en Brasil está asociada con el sexo del niño. Usando una encuesta nacionalmente representativa y considerando el sexo del primer y segundo hijo como variables exógenas se hicieron regresiones OLS. Los resultados muestran que las mujeres con hijas en menor orden de nacimiento son más propensas a ser solteras. Además se encuentra evidencia sugerente de que las abuelas maternas son más propensas a vivir con nietas que con nietos, lo que puede compensar la pérdida económica por la falta del padre de los hijos en el domicilio. Las mujeres con hijas en menor orden de nacimientos son más propensas a tener hijos adicionales, lo que sugiere la preferencia por el hijo varón. Si bien la literatura previa a este estudio se enfoca sobre la presencia del padre en el hogar, el presente trabajo incluye a la abuela para aumentar la perspectiva femenina. Estos datos contribuyen a la literatura en relación con la preferencia por el sexo de los hijos que se concentra en el análisi de la figura masculina (padres).

Sex of children and family structure in Brazil: father & grandmother bias? / Sexo da criança e estrutura domiciliar no Brasil: viés dos pais e dos avós? / El sexo del niño y la estructura del hogar en Brasil: ¿preferencias de padres y abuelas?

O Brasil tem um alto índice de mulheres vivendo sozinhas com seus filhos e de domicílios intergeracionais, nos quais há presença de pais e avós. A estrutura domiciliar pode influenciar o desenvolvimento infantil. Apesar de o Brasil não apresentar evidências de aborto seletivo por sexo, a preferência por gênero ainda pode estar sutilmente presente. Testamos se a corresidência com o pai, a corresidência com a avó e o nascimento de um próximo filho estão associados com o sexo das crianças no Brasil. Usando uma amostra representativa nacionalmente, foram realizadas regressões OLS, considerando o sexo do primeiro e do segundo filho como variáveis exógenas. Mulheres com filhas em menor ordem de nascimento são mais propensas a serem solteiras. Encontraram-se evidências de que as avós maternas são mais propensas a viver com netas do que com netos, o que pode amenizar as perdas econômicas da falta da presença do pai no domicílio. As mulheres com filhas em menor ordem de nascimento são mais propensas a terem filhos adicionais, sugerindo a preferência por filho homem. A literatura anterior tem um enfoque na presença do pai. Aqui inclui-se a avó para aumentar a perspectiva feminina. Estes dados contribuem para a literatura em relação à preferência pelo sexo das crianças, que se concentra na análise da figura masculina (pais); analisamos dados sobre as avós para incluir mulheres.

Brazil has a high rate of mothers living without a partner as well as a high intergenerational co-residence rate, including parents and grandparents. These family types may influence a child's well-being. Even though there is no evidence of sex-selective abortion in Brazil, sex preference could still be subtly present. This paper tests the composition of family structure (father co-residence, grandmother co-residence, and birth of siblings) in Brazil associated with the sex of the child by using a nationally representative household survey, treating sex of the first and second child as exogenous variables in OLS regressions. I found women with lower birth-order daughters are less likely to live with a partner. I also found suggestive evidence that maternal grandmothers are more likely to live with granddaughters than with grandsons. Women with lower birth-order daughters are more likely to have additional children. Evidence suggests that in Brazil, fathers show a preference for sons over daughters, while grandmothers show a preference for granddaughters over grandsons. Additionally, mothers of girls, without co-residing partners may compensate for the economic loss caused by their lack of partner by living with their own mother. This contributes to the literature on child sex preferences, which has mostly focused on males (fathers); I have analyzed data on grandmothers to include females.

Brasil tiene una alta tasa de madres viviendo solas con sus hijos y una alta tasa de corresidencia intergeneracional, con presencia de padres y abuelos. Estos dos tipos de organizaciones familiares podrían influir en el bienestar de los niños. Aunque no hay evidencia en Brasil de preferencias de en aborto selectivo con base en el género, es posible que estas preferencias se presenten de manera más sutil. En este estudio se analiza si la estructura del hogar (corresidencia con el padre, corresidencia con la abuela y el nacimiento de los siguientes hijos) en Brasil está asociada con el sexo del niño. Usando una encuesta nacionalmente representativa y considerando el sexo del primer y segundo hijo como variables exógenas se hicieron regresiones OLS. Los resultados muestran que las mujeres con hijas en menor orden de nacimiento son más propensas a ser solteras. Además se encuentra evidencia sugerente de que las abuelas maternas son más propensas a vivir con nietas que con nietos, lo que puede compensar la pérdida económica por la falta del padre de los hijos en el domicilio. Las mujeres con hijas en menor orden de nacimientos son más propensas a tener hijos adicionales, lo que sugiere la preferencia por el hijo varón. Si bien la literatura previa a este estudio se enfoca sobre la presencia del padre en el hogar, el presente trabajo incluye a la abuela para aumentar la perspectiva femenina. Estos datos contribuyen a la literatura en relación con la preferencia por el sexo de los hijos que se concentra en el análisi de la figura masculina (padres).

Women's police stations and intimate partner violence: Evidence from Brazil.

Although women's police stations have gained popularity as a measure to address intimate partner violence (IPV), there is little quantitative evaluation of their impacts on the incidence of IPV. This paper estimates the effects of women's police stations in Brazil on female homicides, a measure of the most severe form of IPV. Given that a high fraction of female deaths among women ages 15-49 years can be attributed to aggression by an intimate partner, female homicides appear the best proxy for severe IPV considering the scarcity of data on IPV in Brazil. We assemble a panel of 2074 municipalities from 2004 to 2009 and apply a difference-in-differences approach using location and timing to estimate the effect of establishing a women's police station on the municipal female homicide rate. Although we do not find a strong association on average, women's police stations appear to be highly effective among young women living in metropolitan areas. Establishing a women's police station in a metropolitan municipality is associated with a reduction in the female homicide rate by 1.23 deaths per 100,000 women ages 15-49 years (approximately a 17 percent reduction in the female homicide rate in metropolitan municipalities). The reduction in the homicide rate of women ages 15 to 24 is even higher: 5.57 deaths per 100,000 women. Better economic opportunities and less traditional social norms in metropolitan areas may explain the heterogeneous impacts of women's police stations.