The role of household structure, parental education and income on children schooling in Thailand: a gender-based perspective

Abstract

This paper aims to analyse gender inequality in schooling, taking the effects of parental education, income, and household structure, using a nationally representative sample from Thailand. The results show that males underperform females in schooling, even though the contributions of parental education, income, and household structure towards males are higher than that of their counterparts. More specifically, males attain almost one year less of schooling than females. The findings of this paper recommend policies to reduce gender inequality and to improve overall human capital in Thailand by promoting boys’ schooling through for instance dedicated stipend programs for boys.