Child Expenditure: The Role of Working Mothers, Lone Parents, Sibling Composition and Household Provision

Arbeitspapier

This paper uses detailed diary information from the British Family Expenditure Survey (FES) to investigate the expenditure patterns of school-age children. We estimate a Quadratic Almost Ideal Demand System, and find that, whilst most commodities are normal goods, sweets and toys are luxury items for children. Children of lone parents have lower budget shares for expenditure on soft drinks, leisure, personal goods and books/magazines, but higher budget shares for expenditure on sweets and vice products (alcohol, cigarettes and gambling). Having a working mother increases child expenditure on food products and toys. A higher parental budget share, on any given commodity, is generally associated with an increased child budget share suggesting that children mimic their parent?s expenditure patterns.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 388

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis ; Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth ; Consumer Economics: Theory
• Subject: Child expenditure ; quadratic almost ideal demand system ; lone parents ; working mothers ; sibling composition ; Kinder ; Konsumentenverhalten ; Verbraucherausgaben ; Alleinerziehende ; Nachfragesystem ; Schätzung ; Großbritannien

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Farrell, Lisa ; Shields, Michael A.
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2001

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/21248
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET