Child Labour, Gender and Vulnerable Employment in Adulthood. Evidence for Tanzania

This study followed children aged 7-15 in Tanzania's Kagera region during the 1990s and tracked them into adulthood in the 2000s to understand how child labour affects their later employment. The research found that children who did child labour, especially girls, were more likely to have vulnerable employment as adults. Domestic chores and farm work had particularly harmful effects, with girls under 13 who did domestic work being 20 percentage points more likely to end up in vulnerable employment.

Key points

• Child labour in childhood is associated with vulnerable employment in adulthood
• The negative effects are driven primarily by girls rather than boys
• Children younger than 10 experience only negative effects from child labour
• Domestic chores for girls under 13 increase vulnerable employment probability by up to 20 percentage points
• Farm work has even more adverse long-term employment effects than domestic chores

Limitations

The study is specific to the Kagera region of Tanzania and may not represent other regions or countries. The document does not specify what outcomes constitute 'vulnerable employment' or discuss potential confounding factors that might influence both child labour participation and adult employment outcomes.