1. The family, institutional context and child anthropometry Children in Developing Countries Renata Serra – April 3 rd 2007

2. Child anthropometry / malnutrition  Stunting: low height-for-age Chronic, long-term under-nutrition + poor health  Wasting: low weight-for-height Acute, short-term under-nutrition + poor health  Under-nutrition is more about nutrient composition than food quantity per se Deficiency of Vitamin A, iron, protein, etc.  Worldwide, about 25% of children under-5 are under-nourished About half are in South Asia (highest absolute prevalence) Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest relative prevalence

3. The linkages Child anthropo metry Food intake + diseases Caretakers’ behavior Public services provisioning National and international policies Institutional context Employment, Economic sectors, etc.

4. Looking inside households & families  Household ≠ family: both are crucial  Caretakers-child relationships mediated by: Residential arrangements  Nuclear versus extended household  Stable vs. unstable marital arrangements Social and cultural norms  Who gets what inside the HH? E.g. gender Connections between different residential units  Help and cost-sharing (child fostering)

5. The household  Cooperation and conflict coexist Income-pooling is not a universal feature Limited joint decision-making (See figures 2.1- 2.3 in UNICEF 2007)  Responsibility for children is mediated by both individual circumstances and social norms. Give examples!  The female-headed household (FHH) FHHs are 20% of HHs worldwide Not always the poorest: help from outside, better internal resource allocation, prioritization for child-expenses

6. Household and family structure  Article by Desai (1992) In what ways do family and HH structures differ between WA and LA?  Marital instability in LA countries  Shared responsibilities for child-rearing in SSA What is the effect of these differences in terms of child anthropometry? What are the policy implications?

7. The role of gender  Institutional factors / social norms Age gap at marriage and women’s status in the family Women’s mobility (geographical and socio-economic) Women’s role in the wider society, legal provisions, etc.  Women’s individual characteristics are also important in affecting child nutrition and health Own income source and income control Education level Autonomy in decision-making Type of work (flexibility, compatibility with child-care)