Evidence of the Impact of Children’s Household Chores and Market Labour on Learning from School Census Data in Brazil

This study analyzes the impact of children’s household chores and market labour on learning using Prova Brazil census data from 2007/2011, 2009/2013, 2011/2015 and 2013/2017. To do that, we created a large panel dataset with students in 5th and 9th Grades. A panel fixed effects model with an instrumental variable approach was applied to control for the endogeneity of child labour. Possible attrition bias was taken into account through inverse probability weights. The work performed by children either in the household, or in the labour market was detrimental to their academic performance. In the 2013/2017 panel, the largest impact was a reduction close to 12.3 per cent in Portuguese and more than 10 per cent in Mathematics test scores when children worked in both places labour market and household. Our results also indicate that household chores, which are often not counted in social statistics and not considered dangerous, should be included in policies designed to combat child labour.