Gender bias in household education expenditure: the case of West Bengal

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-150
Author(s):  
Amita Majumder ◽  
Chayanika Mitra

Purpose This paper aims to detect gender bias in education expenditure on “students”, who are children and young adults, in a household in the rural and the urban sectors of West Bengal. Outlay equivalent ratios have been calculated using the Engel curve approach, where the budget share function is log quadratic in income, to identify items relating exclusively to education of school/college going students. Heckman’s (1979) two-step procedure is used for estimation to address selection bias The 68th round (July 2011 to June 2012) household level consumption expenditure survey data of the National Sample Survey Organisation have been used for the analysis. Design/methodology/approach Engel curve approach is used to capture parental preference for student’s welfare and to find the existence of male student favouritism in the field of education. In case of exclusive adult goods, the addition of a student will reduce the resource allocated for adult goods leading to negative income effect. If a household favours males over females, then that household is likely to sacrifice more for a male student’s education than that for a female student. To address selection bias, Heckman’s two-step procedure has been used. Findings The authors find that not all education items relate exclusively to students of a household. Expenditure on books is not exclusively for students, whereas other educational items, such as stationary and photocopy charges, tuition fees and private coaching fees, are found to be students’ items only. Transport cost is found to be an adult good. Further, we find evidence of pro male bias in expenditure on educational items, and the extent of gender bias is more in the urban sectors compared to the rural sectors in West Bengal. Originality/value The objective of this paper is to identify the educational items exclusively for “students” and to test the difference in the allocation of resources in education, with respect to these items, between a male student and a female student for both sectors in West Bengal, using the outlay equivalent ratios.

Author(s):  
Chayanika Mitra

This article attempts to capture gender bias in education expenditure among the religious (Hindu, Muslim and others) and the social groups (SC, ST and General) in West Bengal. Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition technique is used to obtain gender bias for a specific demographic group. Further, an attempt has been made to identify the religious or social groups with the acute problem of gender bias. In this work, 71st round (January–June 2014) education expenditure data (individual level) provided by NSSO (National Sample Survey Office) is used. JEL: I24, R1, C55


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-289
Author(s):  
Amita Majumder ◽  
Chayanika Mitra

This article examines the dropout behaviour of students below class 10 level (maximum age of 16 years) from two different perspectives. First, from the parents’ perspective, we identify the major characteristics of a household that forces the child to dropout from school, using a Probit analysis. Second, from the child’s perspective, we try to relate the reasons for dropping out (as specified by the child) with the background of the household the child belongs to and the school infrastructure provided to him/her, through a multinomial logit model. The data set used is the 71st round (January 2014 to June 2014) data on education expenditure and is provided by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). The analysis is done for the state of West Bengal, India, separately for boys and girls. It shows the significance of parental education and economic factors in children’s dropout behaviour, which is in line with the observations in existing literature. Additionally, this article offers children’s perspectives on such behaviour from across genders and economic classes.


2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 107-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara Shankar Shaw ◽  
Sridhar Telidevara

Purpose – Indian households having the below poverty line (BPL) ration card receive rice, wheat, sugar and kerosene from the Indian Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS) at subsidized rates. The paper uses the National Sample Survey Organization's consumption expenditure survey for the 61st round to study the causal effect of the BPL ration card on BPL households' calorie consumption. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – This causal effect is estimated by comparing per-capita-per-day calorie consumption of the BPL households having BPL card with that of a matched counterfactual BPL household from the same state not having BPL card, using stratified propensity score matching. Findings – The BPL ration card was found to increase calorie consumption from cereals and decrease calorie consumption from non-cereal food items without affecting the overall calorie consumption of household. Thus, TPDS induces households to consume more cereals and less non-cereal without significantly changing the overall calorie consumption. Research limitations/implications – The research methodology controls for selection bias due to observable variables. Further, research needed to devise experimental set up to control for the selection bias due to unobserved variables. Originality/value – The paper uses the targeting error in identifying BPL households in TPDS as a quasi-experiment set up to study the causal effect of the BPL ration card.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 69
Author(s):  
Endang Wahyuningrum ◽  
Disti Pratiwi ◽  
Sandra Sukmaning Adji

The purpose of this study was to describe the creative thinking skills of junior high school students based on mathematics anxiety and gender. Aspects of creative thinking skills used in this study are fluency, flexibility, and novelty. This research is a qualitative descriptive study. The instruments used were open-ended questions consisting of algebra and geometry questions, mathematics anxiety questionnaires, and interview guidelines. The study was conducted in class IX E of SMPI Al Azhar 12 Rawamangun Jakarta. The subject of this study consisted of four students, they are male student with low mathematics anxiety, female student with low mathematics anxiety, male student with medium mathematics anxiety, and female student with medium mathematics anxiety. The results of the mathematics anxiety questionnaire showed that none of the students in class IX E had high math anxiety. There are differences in the fulfillment of aspects of creative thinking in terms of differences in mathematics anxiety and gender levels. Students with low math anxiety fulfill aspects of fluency, flexibility, and novelty in algebra and geometry questions. Students with medium math anxiety fulfill aspects of fluency and flexibility both in algebra and geometry questions. Female students fulfill aspects of fluency, flexibility, and novelty both in algebra and geometry questions. Male students fulfill aspects of fluency and flexibility in algebra questions, while in geometry questions the aspects that are fulfilled are fluency, flexibility, and novelty.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 339-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Siham Lekchiri ◽  
Cindy Crowder ◽  
Anna Schnerre ◽  
Barbara A.W. Eversole

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experiences of working women in a male-dominated country (Morocco) and unveil the unique challenges and everyday gender-bias they face, the psychological impact of the perceived gender-bias and, finally, identify a variety of coping strategies or combatting mechanisms affecting their motivation and retention in the workplace. Design/methodology/approach Empirical evidence was obtained using a qualitative research method. The Critical Incident Technique (CIT) was used to collect incidents recalled by women in the select institution reflecting their perceptions of their managers’ ineffective behaviors towards them and the impact of these behaviors. The critical incidents were inductively coded, and behavioral statements were derived from the coded data. Findings The qualitative data analysis led them to structure the data according to two theme clusters: The perceived gender-bias behaviors (Covert and evident personal and organizational behaviors) and Psychological impacts resulting from the perceived bias. These behavioral practices included abusive behaviors, unfair treatment, bias and lack of recognition. The psychological impact elements involved decreased productivity, depression, anxiety and low self-esteem. Practical implications Understanding these experiences can facilitate the identification of strategies geared towards the retention of women in the workforce, and Moroccan organizations can develop and implement strategies and policies that are geared towards eliminating gender-bias in the workplace and to retaining and motivating women who remain ambitious to work in male-dominated environments and cultures. Originality/value This paper provides evidence that sufficient organizational mechanisms to support women in male-dominated environments are still unavailable, leaving them to find the proper coping mechanisms to persevere and resist.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 253-268 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Soklaridis ◽  
Ayelet Kuper ◽  
Cynthia R. Whitehead ◽  
Genevieve Ferguson ◽  
Valerie H. Taylor ◽  
...  

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the experiences of gender bias among women hospital CEOs and explore to what these female leaders attribute their success within a male-dominated hospital executive leadership milieu. Design/methodology/approach This qualitative study involved 12 women hospital CEOs from across Ontario, Canada. Purposeful sampling techniques and in-depth qualitative interview methods were used to facilitate discussion around experiences of gender and leadership. Findings Responses fell into two groups: the first group represented the statement “Gender inequality is alive and well”. The second group reflected the statement “Gender inequity is not significant, did not happen to me, and things are better now”. This group contained a sub-group with no consciousness of systemic discrimination and that claimed having no gendered experiences in their leadership journey. The first group described gender issues in various contexts, from the individual to the systemic. The second group was ambivalent about gender as a factor impacting leadership trajectories. Originality/value Representations of women’s leadership have become detached from feminism, with major consequences for women. This study reveals how difficult it is for some women CEOs to identify gender bias. The subtle everyday norms and practices within the workplace make it difficult to name and explain gender bias explicitly and may explain the challenges in understanding how it might affect a woman’s career path.


2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Richardson ◽  
Grantley Taylor ◽  
Roman Lanis

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the impact of women on the board of directors on corporate tax avoidance in Australia. Design/methodology/approach The authors use multivariate regression analysis to test the association between the presence of female directors on the board and tax aggressiveness. They also test for self-selection bias in the regression model by using the two-stage Heckman procedure. Findings This paper finds that relative to there being one female board member, high (i.e. greater than one member) female presence on the board of directors reduces the likelihood of tax aggressiveness. The results are robust after controlling for self-selection bias and using several alternative measures of tax aggressiveness. Research limitations/implications This study extends the extant literature on corporate governance and tax aggressiveness. This study is subject to several caveats. First, the sample is restricted to publicly listed Australian firms. Second, this study only examines the issue of women on the board of directors and tax aggressiveness in the context of Australia. Practical implications This research is timely, as there has been increased pressure by government bodies in Australia and globally to develop policies to increase female representation on the board of directors. Originality/value This study is the first to provide empirical evidence concerning the association between the presence of women on the board of directors and tax aggressiveness.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 265-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bhavana Mathur ◽  
Sumit Gupta ◽  
Makhan Lal Meena ◽  
G.S. Dangayach

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the causal linkages among supply chain practices, effectiveness of supply chain performance (SCP) and organizational performance (OP) in Indian healthcare industries.Design/methodology/approachThis paper is helpful in developing a framework for linking a healthcare supply chain practice to its OP, and thus identifies how such a linkage can be connected to the effectiveness of SCP. Such effort also enables the authors to derive a set of recommended supply chain practices for SC performance.FindingsFrom the literature review, this paper finds that, in the context of Indian healthcare industries, efficient SC performance may play a critical role for overall OP improvement, as there is a close interrelationship between supply chain management (SCM) practices and SCP that may have a more significant effect on OP improvement.Research limitations/implicationsThe principle limitation of the paper is that it is performed only in a particular industry and with a questionnaire survey which could be extended in future for other industries also. Another limitation of the paper is that it is focused only on the SCP of medical device and equipment supply chain which is a small portion of the whole healthcare supply chain, and therefore requires further research covering various other domains of healthcare supply chain. Another limitation of the study is that the sample survey has been taken from only one respondent per company at one point of time which may create biasness in the results. Thus, future research should collect data through multiple members from the organization.Practical implicationsThis study contributes to know the effect of SCM practices on healthcare SCP and provides a practical and useful tool to evaluate the extent of effectiveness of SCP and finally their impact on the healthcare OP. Finally, this study provides conceptual and descriptive literature regarding SCM practices that leads to improvement in healthcare performance.Social implicationsThis study adds to the knowledge on healthcare SCM performance by exploring the relationship between supply chain practices, healthcare SCP and healthcare OP and by developing and testing a research framework thus help in improving patient satisfaction.Originality/valueThis study attempts to show how the potential benefits of supply chain practices can no longer be ignored in healthcare supply chain.


2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 104-108
Author(s):  
Anna Challet

This article discusses how the community at Zaytuna College, the first and only accredited Muslim college in the United States, is charting the future of Islam in America. The college is located in Berkeley, California and admitted its first class in 2010. The article gives an overview of the school and its curriculum, which combines Islamic scholarship with Western teachings. The piece then profiles four members of the school community–a female student who was raised as a Muslim, a male student who converted to Islam, and two faculty members (both of whom are also converts).


2015 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 94-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Haynes ◽  
Lyn Robinson

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the risks faced by users of online social networking services (SNSs) in the UK and to develop a typology of risk that can be used to assess regulatory effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach – An initial investigation of the literature revealed no detailed taxonomies of risk in this area. Existing taxonomies were reviewed and merged with categories identified in a pilot survey and expanded in purposive sample survey directed at the library and information services (LIS) community in the UK. Findings – Analysis of the relationships between different risk categories yielded a grouping of risks by their consequences. This aligns with one of the objectives of regulation, which is to mitigate risks. Research limitations/implications – This research offers a tool for evaluation of different modes of regulation of social media. Practical implications – Awareness of the risks associated with use of online SNSs and wider social media contributes to the work of LIS professionals in their roles as: educators; intermediaries; and users of social media. An understanding of risk also informs the work of policy makers and legislators responsible for regulating access to personal data. Originality/value – A risk-based view of regulation of personal data on social media has not been attempted in such a comprehensive way before.


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