Does Household Electrification Empower Rural Boys and Girls Alike? Evidence from Brazil

Abstract

This study examines the impact of government-supported household electrification on the human capital of children in rural Brazil, which is relatively marginalized compared to urban sectors, between 1980 and 2010. The study focuses on gender heterogeneity. Using Brazilian census data and instrumented electricity measures, I estimate the effects of household electrification on school attendance and work in the short run and educational progression in the long run. Household electrification positively affects children’s educational human capital in the short and long run, but the effects are stronger for boys. In terms of its impact on work, it reduces the likelihood of girls doing housework but increases the likelihood of them doing paid work. In contrast, it significantly reduces the likelihood of boys doing unpaid work in family farms and businesses, with no causal effect on paid work and housework. I also propose mechanisms to explain this heterogeneity. These results show gender gaps in the impact of household electrification on the accumulation of educational human capital in both the short and long run. They also demonstrate gender differences in the impact on work. The conclusive implication is that boys may benefit more from the increased educational opportunities enabled by household electrification.