Household Demand and Community            Perceptions of Community-Based Childcare

Brudevold-Newman, Andrew; Buehren, Niklas; Gebremedhin, Roman Tesfaye; Hailemicheal, Adiam Hagos; Ketema, Tigist Assefa

Household Demand and Community Perceptions of Community-Based Childcare

Autores

Brudevold-Newman, Andrew

Buehren, Niklas

Gebremedhin, Roman Tesfaye

Hailemicheal, Adiam Hagos

Ketema, Tigist Assefa

Editor

Washington, DC: World Bank

Descripción

Women in Ethiopia bear a disproportionate burden of childcare responsibilities, spending approximately eight times the amount of time that men do on childcare. Childcare duties, while critical to the development of the child, could be holding back the earning potential of women and households, ultimately diminishing household income and poverty reduction efforts. In a study in the Amhara region, we explore the demand for and social norms around external childcare services through a pilot intervention within the context of the Ethiopia Productive Safety Nets Program (PSNP). We find that the demand for childcare centers in rural areas is high, and the perceptions around external childcare services are favorable. More than 95 percent of potential beneficiary households expressed an interest in sending their children to childcare centers and anticipated sending their children for 4.6 days/week on average. The objective of the study was to generate rigorous evidence on the impactsof providing rural childcare through the PSNP on individual and household outcomes.While the intervention and associated impact evaluation were suspended due to theconflict in Northern Ethiopia, the study provided valuable lessons on the demand for and social norms around external childcare services from a pre-program survey of 2,250 households in the study region and administrative attendance data on program use from the first months of implementation.

Palabras clave

AFRICA GENDER POLICY, GENDER INNOVATION LAB, WOMEN AND YOUTH EMPLOYMENT, WOMEN AND SOCIAL NORMS, WOMEN AND AGRICULTURE, HOUSEHOLD POVERTY REDUCTION, CHILDCARE AND EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN, CHILDCARE AND FAMILY WELFARE, WOMEN'S EARNING POTENTIAL, WOMEN AND SOCIAL PROTECTION