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Title Socio-Economic Determinants of Child Labor in Pakistan

Author(s) Sadam Hussain

Abstract The child labor is defined as “the children who neglect their childhood and are not able to have critical conveniences that a child must have”. The United Nations Children Fund classified the child labor according to the child age and number of hours worked per week: “Age five to eleven, at least one hour of economic work or twenty eight hours of domestic work; Ages twelve to fourteen, at least fourteen hours of economic work or twenty eight hours of domestic work and Ages fifteen to seventeen at least forty three hours of economic work or domestic work”. Child labor entails “work which is of such a character that it is harmful to children’s schooling or destructive to their health and development”. This study examines the socio-economic determinants of child labor in Pakistan. The data have been taken from Pakistan Labor Force Survey 2014-15. The determinants of child labor are divided in characteristics such as (i) personal characteristics (age and gender of children), (ii) social characteristics (child’s enrollment in school, child education and education of household head), (iii) economic characteristics (wages of household head and occupation of household head), and finally (iv) household characteristics (household type, province and region). Child labor is of binary nature: that is whether a child participates in labor market or does not participate. Logit and Probit model have been used to find out the determinants of child labor in Pakistan. The results show that male children are working more as compared to female children. It is found that child enrollment in school has negative and significant impact on child labor. Child’s years of education as well as household head’s years of education have negative and significant impact on child labor. Wages of household head also have negative and significant impact on child labor. Child labor is found to be higher where household head belongs to unskilled occupation, agriculture work and sales work as compared to when the household head is assistant professional or professional worker. Household type of joint family system has strong negative effect on child labor. Child labor found to be higher in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as compared to Baluchistan. It is found that urban children work less as compared to rural children.

Type Thesis/Dissertation

Faculty Management Sciences

Department Economics

Language English

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Subject Economics

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