Poi.icy RESEARCH WORKI.NG PAPFR 2897

# Abstract

Gustafssoni-Wriglit and Pyne review child labor and the sitLuation of street childreln in Brazil from a gendcr perspectivc. Relying primarily on Brazil's national hoUsehold snrvev for 1996, the auithors examinie various dimenisionis of child labor by genidcr, incluiding participation, intensity, and type of activities; the relationship between child labor, cducation, and futLire earninigs; and the risks of child labor to health and wvellbeiig. Thev also summarize approaches to prevent and eliminiiate child labor and street childreni in Brazil.

The authors find that more bovs thani girls _wvork_ in Brazil especially in rural areas where boys arc concentrated in the agricultLral sector, that maniv clhildrein bothi wvork and attend sclhool, and that girls attain highier lcvcls of educatiotn thani boys on average, even when considering number of hours worked. -- hc exception is the 11-14 category. Thev also find that an individual's carninigs are correlated with age of entry inro

> **the** labor market. The earlier a child begins to wvork, the lower his or hcr earniigs. And girls are more adversely affected by early labor force **entry** th an boys, with the gender differential increasing the earlier a child begins to Nwork.

Taking poverty as the primary coontributor to child labor, governenilt programs to comlbat child labor are wvell desigiled in that they compensate familics for a child's forcgone earnings and address family factors that lead to poverty. However, programils coLI]d be improved by explicitly considering the gcnder dimenisionis of child labor. The authors point to the nted for analysis of the impact of child labor on health, and specifically to the gender and sex-diffeciretiated impacts. They stiggest the need to address gendcr in intervention strategies for street childreni, as well as research on chiild labor in domestic service where girls are overreprcsented.

> This paper-a product of the Gender Sector Unit, Latin America and the Caribbean Regioni-is part of a larger effort in the region to identify and address gender issuLes relevanit to devclopment. Copies of the paper are available free from thc World Bank, 18 _1_ 8 HStreetNW, Washiligtoin, DC 20433. I'lcase contact Maria Correia, room 18-1 15, telepholne 202-4739394, fax 202-676-0199, cmail address mcorreia(Cworldbalik.org. Policy Rescarch \Vorkiig P'apers are also posted oni thc Weh at http://econ.worldbank.org. The aLuthors may be contacted at egustafssolln( w\orldbanik.org or hpyne(iw\orldliank.org. October 2002. (30 pages)

> _The l'ohicvI Reseairch Working Paper Series disseminates the lznzdimgs of ivork in prm,'ress to enCnerage' the, exchange of ideas abouzt developmzent issies. An obljective of the series is to gCt the findings o(ut quickly. even if tbe preSentat;I(Sn re Iess than fullv polished. The_

> _papers canr the IManies nfthe ant bors_ **_and_** _shonil( he cited accordinglv. The findings, interpretations, an1d 61cinchisonis expressed_ **_in_** _this paper are enitirelv those o/ the authors. They do inot nhecessaril/ represenit the viv w/ othe World Bank, itS Executive L)irectors. or the_

> _c(ountries thely represent._

P'roduced bv the Rescarch Advisory Staff