Economic constraints or cultural preferences? The parent justification of child labor in Chile¿Necesidad económica o preferencias culturales? La justificación parental del trabajo infantil en Chile

Abstract

Using data from the First National Survey on Children Labor conducted in 2003, we analyzed parental justification for children labor. We hypothesized that a higher probability of economic justification would be observed in parents of children from vulnerable groups: lower socioeconomic status (SES), children younger than 12 years, and girls. Logistic regression revealed that economic constraints are the most common justification among the more vulnerable groups, but that others reasons, such as cultural preferences and adolescence participation in the decision making process, are increasingly important. Copyright 2008 by Psykhe.