Educational attainments and household characteristics in Tanzania

This paper uses multivariate regression techniques to analyse household survey data collected in rural Tanzania in 1992 in a joint research project by TADREG (Tanzania Development Research Group) and the University of Dar es Salaam. It focuses on how household and individual characteristics affect whether or not a child goes to primary school, completes primary and attends secondary. The regression analysis clearly shows substantial intra-household differences between the way in which household characteristics affect outcomes for boys and girls, and how mothers' and fathers' influence over resource decisions differentially affect outcomes. For example, when looking at the decision as to whether to enrol in primary school, fathers' education has a greater influence on boys whereas mothers' primary education has a greater influence on girls. Furthermore, married mothers' education can increase the probability of girls enrolling in secondary school by 9.7 per cent for primary education and a further 17.6 per cent for secondary, while having no significant effect on the enrolment of boys. These results imply that mothers have a relatively stronger preference for their daughters' education and that their education affords them either increased household decision-making power or increased economic status. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.