Faculty Publications

Occupational Choices Of Working Children In Bangladesh

Document Type

Article

Keywords

Bangladesh, binary logit, child labour, informal sector, multinomial logit

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Applied Economics

Volume

47

Issue

46

First Page

4982

Last Page

4995

Abstract

The article looks into the determinants of occupational choices of working children in Bangladesh. Using data from 6668 Bangladeshi working children aged 5 through 14, the article estimates several binary and multinomial logit regressions, separately for boys and girls. The article confirms that most children work in the informal sector where formal sector’s jurisdiction and regulations are absent. Specifically, the article finds that children are least likely to work in the service occupation and are more likely to work in the textile sector. The findings highlight the diversity in the occupational distribution of child workers by gender and show how their individual and family characteristics influence occupational choices. The service sector, which comprises of mostly maids, is a hidden sector. This sector makes children vulnerable to abuse. Thus, it is suggested that policy makers need to come up with effective legislations that would protect the children who work in the ‘hidden informal’ sector.

Department

Department of Economics

Original Publication Date

10-2-2015

DOI of published version

10.1080/00036846.2015.1039704

Link to Full Text

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