TY - JOUR
T1 - Dynamic trends in household poverty and inequality in Sri Lanka
T2 - do gender and ethnicity matter?
AU - Jayasinghe, Maneka
PY - 2019/6
Y1 - 2019/6
N2 - The heterogeneity in female-headed households (FHHs) and the differences in household size and composition make the comparison of poverty across male- and FHHs’ complex. The differences in ethno-religion and patriarchal social norms embedded in the various cultures to which these female heads belong also create extra challenges when analysing female headship and poverty. This study, which investigates the poverty and expenditure inequality by gender of the head of the household in Sri Lanka, has a special focus on Sinhala and Tamil ethnic groups. This article makes a significant contribution to the literature on horizontal inequalities in FHHs across communities. Our results indicate that, while FHHs show a higher prevalence of poverty than their male counterparts in both Sinhala and Tamil households, the Tamil FHHs are more vulnerable to poverty.
AB - The heterogeneity in female-headed households (FHHs) and the differences in household size and composition make the comparison of poverty across male- and FHHs’ complex. The differences in ethno-religion and patriarchal social norms embedded in the various cultures to which these female heads belong also create extra challenges when analysing female headship and poverty. This study, which investigates the poverty and expenditure inequality by gender of the head of the household in Sri Lanka, has a special focus on Sinhala and Tamil ethnic groups. This article makes a significant contribution to the literature on horizontal inequalities in FHHs across communities. Our results indicate that, while FHHs show a higher prevalence of poverty than their male counterparts in both Sinhala and Tamil households, the Tamil FHHs are more vulnerable to poverty.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85065447366&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/13547860.2019.1573716
DO - 10.1080/13547860.2019.1573716
M3 - Article
SN - 1354-7860
VL - 24
SP - 208
EP - 223
JO - Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy
JF - Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy
IS - 2
ER -