Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya
In several countries and settings, especially in low- and middle-income countries, men are expected to act as primary economic providers for their households, bearing the psychological and social burdens associated with this role. Despite its potential consequences, the effects of the breadwinner ro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Artículo preliminar |
| Language: | Inglés |
| Published: |
International Food Policy Research Institute
2025
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180329 |
| _version_ | 1855524023430021120 |
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| author | Vitellozzi, Sveva Savadori, Lucia Davis, Kristin E. Azzarri, Carlo Kinuthia, Dickson Ronzani, Piero |
| author_browse | Azzarri, Carlo Davis, Kristin E. Kinuthia, Dickson Ronzani, Piero Savadori, Lucia Vitellozzi, Sveva |
| author_facet | Vitellozzi, Sveva Savadori, Lucia Davis, Kristin E. Azzarri, Carlo Kinuthia, Dickson Ronzani, Piero |
| author_sort | Vitellozzi, Sveva |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | In several countries and settings, especially in low- and middle-income countries, men are expected to act as primary economic providers for their households, bearing the psychological and social burdens associated with this role. Despite its potential consequences, the effects of the breadwinner role on economic decision-making are understudied, particularly among poor households. This study investigates how gendered breadwinner expectations shape economic behavior in rural Kenya. Using a lab-in-the-field experiment among 400 smallholder farmers in Vihiga County, we test how psychological and social pressures associated with being the breadwinner of the family influence decision-making in both individual work choices and collective decisions. Participants completed a real-effort task choosing either a high-effort, high-reward option or a low-effort, low-reward alternative, followed by a public goods game framed around communal seed bank contributions. Results reveal that the heightened strain of the main breadwinner led male participants to reduce contributions to the communal seed bank by 0.2 standard deviations, while it did not affect their productivity in the real-effort task. These behavioral shifts suggest that the psychological consequences of breadwinner strain can undermine cooperation and the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. Addressing the pressures of breadwinning can foster both economic resilience and social cohesion. |
| format | Artículo preliminar |
| id | CGSpace180329 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| publisherStr | International Food Policy Research Institute |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1803292026-01-22T02:06:58Z Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya Vitellozzi, Sveva Savadori, Lucia Davis, Kristin E. Azzarri, Carlo Kinuthia, Dickson Ronzani, Piero gender gender norms decision making poverty households intrahousehold relations In several countries and settings, especially in low- and middle-income countries, men are expected to act as primary economic providers for their households, bearing the psychological and social burdens associated with this role. Despite its potential consequences, the effects of the breadwinner role on economic decision-making are understudied, particularly among poor households. This study investigates how gendered breadwinner expectations shape economic behavior in rural Kenya. Using a lab-in-the-field experiment among 400 smallholder farmers in Vihiga County, we test how psychological and social pressures associated with being the breadwinner of the family influence decision-making in both individual work choices and collective decisions. Participants completed a real-effort task choosing either a high-effort, high-reward option or a low-effort, low-reward alternative, followed by a public goods game framed around communal seed bank contributions. Results reveal that the heightened strain of the main breadwinner led male participants to reduce contributions to the communal seed bank by 0.2 standard deviations, while it did not affect their productivity in the real-effort task. These behavioral shifts suggest that the psychological consequences of breadwinner strain can undermine cooperation and the adoption of sustainable agriculture practices. Addressing the pressures of breadwinning can foster both economic resilience and social cohesion. 2025-12-31 2026-01-21T18:55:10Z 2026-01-21T18:55:10Z Working Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180329 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute Vitellozzi, Sveva; Savadori, Lucia; Davis, Kristin E.; Azzarri, Carlo; Kinuthia, Dickson; and Ronzani, Piero. 2025. Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya. IFPRI Discussion Paper 2398. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180329 |
| spellingShingle | gender gender norms decision making poverty households intrahousehold relations Vitellozzi, Sveva Savadori, Lucia Davis, Kristin E. Azzarri, Carlo Kinuthia, Dickson Ronzani, Piero Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya |
| title | Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya |
| title_full | Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya |
| title_fullStr | Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya |
| title_full_unstemmed | Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya |
| title_short | Breadwinner role and economic decision-making: Experimental evidence from Kenya |
| title_sort | breadwinner role and economic decision making experimental evidence from kenya |
| topic | gender gender norms decision making poverty households intrahousehold relations |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/180329 |
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