Global Evidence on Gender Gaps and Child Poverty in Consumption

Since intra-household resource distribution is unobserved, it is difficult to compare how women and children fare across countries. This study addresses the challenge by analyzing 45 household expenditure surveys from predominantly low- and middle-income countries, covering an international sample of around 2.4 million individuals. Using harmonized estimations of intra-household resource sharing, globally comparable measures of gender inequality and child poverty in consumption are constructed. The results reveal a widespread imbalance: women receive about 20 percent less than men, leading to a 60 percent higher poverty rate. Children appear to fare even worse, though the gap is partly explained by differences in needs and sibling economies of scale. Intra-household inequalities are more pronounced in poorer countries and among low-income households within countries. Cross-checks with nutritional proxies tend to validate these findings, linking household poverty and intra-household disparities to child undernutrition. Finally, a decomposition of global individual consumption inequality indicates that 13–32 percent (across measures) stems from inequality within households.